The Farmer With A Poker Face
by Ciella
Summary: Claire knows how to work the system and the men equally. Don't get excited, it's a clean fic. Undecided pairing as of yet, suggestions welcome.
1. Year 1: Ch 1

After slicing the Mayor into little sticky pieces and he wobbled off her land, Claire sat on her shipping bin for a long time. She stared out at the wasteland of stones and boulders, branches and stumps, the army of weeds. Awful was an understatement- it seemed that some of the townspeople had been using it as a landfill. She kicked a tin can with her boot, turning her head in all directions.

The barn looked ready to fall in on itself.

The coop's white paint was moldy green.

The house was rickety, missing some shingles, window panes, and a doorknob.

And all of it was hers! Claire grinned dopily. The house alone was the size of her entire apartment back home, all the property she had owned. And not having a car wasn't so bad. She had lived without one for her entire adult life, having lived and worked in the city for the last ten years, where everyone takes a taxi, a bus, the subway.

Not to mention that the town was tiny; Claire knew she'd never have to worry about getting lost. She might get bored- but then she glanced over at the disaster behind her. If she should ever get finished, it would be a miracle!

It seemed that the only problem would lie in the townspeople themselves. All were such kind, friendly, unassuming country folk. They stuck together; more like bricks of a wall than birds of a feather. And it seemed like matching souls had been born right beside each other, so that upon reaching maturity, none would have to search far for love. It seemed to her that in their thriving, peaceful, utopian town, Claire was an element of chaos that did not belong. Between her city manners, her tomboy attitude, and her obvious PMS, it would certainly take some adapting before she could ever hope to fit in.

--- --- ---

Claire rose as a somnambulist, fingers tangled in her hair. She stared at the clock. Six a.m.! She jumped off of her bed, doing a running man-happy dance in her wrinkled work clothes and socked feet. Since she started working, Claire had had to get up at four. Six was a weekend's hours, and she'd get to wake up then every day!

"Yikes, this looks pretty nasty," she said to herself, no longer happy dancing. The bed was made but mussed, and her work clothes stank of dry perspiration. "I gotta remember to hit the supermarket later and buy a tub. I wonder if they're the old-style hand-filled tubs?"

She unbarred the door and stuck her pointer finger into the doorknob-less hole. A huge figure loomed over her. "Hey there!" Said a huge voice, with country friendliness without the bumpkin twang she had anticipated. "Mayor Thomas told me about your moving in. The name's Zack."

Claire grasped his hand firmly, but when he shook, she rattled like a flag line in a gale. "I'm Claire. Thanks for coming to introduce yourself, but why are you here?"

Zack blinked at her frankness. He laughed, "Don't waste any time in the city, do you? I came to show you how to ship your produce."

"But I know how to ship things; you just toss it in the bin." Running her fingers through her bed-head hair, she said, "You look strong. Could you show me how to chop wood? I've never done it before."

"Ha! No problem at all. I'm an old pro at chopping, wait and see."

Claire opened the toolbox with a flick of her wrist and pulled out the medieval-looking, leaden axe. She could barely hold it in one hand, barely raise it in two. She handed it to Zack. The giant, muscled man restrained his chuckling behind a kind smile, and loped over to a mess of branches near the main shipping bin.

It was a great lesson, for two reasons: Zack was a great and gentle teacher, and Claire loved to learn.

--- --- ---

From dawn to dusk on the second day, Claire busted her behind weeding, chopping, and tilling horseshoe shaped patterns into the dirt. She shipped the herbs, bamboo, and honey she found, but she pinched a tiny piece of each to save for food. Zack noticed the stash in her pockets. "You know there's an inn around here, right? Doug's place, right after the Aja Winery. Doug makes some damned wonderful food, and his daughter, Ann, is about your age. She's a hard worker, too. Maybe you'll find a friend."

Claire's face was soon darker than her fair hair. "Thanks for the tip, it's good to know."

Smoothing her clothes and brushing her hair, Claire reached for the tiny sack of gold she'd made selling her apartment. If only she'd waited, she could have gotten so much more! But she was in a hurry, and that's all the realtor was willing to pay. She plucked a few gold pieces from savings and snuck the bag away beneath a loose floorboard in the corner.

"I hope this guy won't rip me off when he realizes that I'm new-" Just as she was leaving her farm, someone was turning the corner and rammed into her. A boy her age stumbled back as she landed on her side. Unsure of whether or not to help the girl up or leave her alone, the boy jerked forward and back for a second. He choked, "You okay?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine!" Claire popped up, wincing in the eye away from him. "I've had worse. Sorry to-"

"You should be more careful." He walked past her, his reddish-brown hair bristling out from the back of his cap.

"Hey, don't turn your back on me." Claire stood tall, eyeing the back of his head. "I may be clumsy, but I'm also new. The name's Claire. Who are you?"  
"Gray." The boy stalked on, redder under the cap than she remembered.

Claire reached and entered the inn unhurried. A red-haired and mustachioed man of stout stature stood behind the bar. "Welcome!" he said, as Claire approached. "Are you the new farmer?"

"Yes, I-"

"Mayor Thomas told us all about you! You're name is Claire, right?"

Claire froze, nodding rigidly. "This Mayor Thomas guy gets around, huh?"

Doug nodded sternly. "The Mayor is a big figure in our small town. He's a great combination of friend, figurehead, and messenger."

"Sounds like quite the busy schedule. 'Farmer' is plenty 'nough to keep my day packed!" The innkeeper laughed in a folksy way beneath his mustache, leaning against the bar with one arm.

"Now that introductions are outta the way, what can I do you for, Claire?"

"What do you have that a starting farmer could afford for dinner?"

Doug knew his stuff. He ran off a list, the lowest item other than free water being about 120 gold. Claire's mind boggled; with only 500 gold, there was no way she could afford a 1/5 savings meal. Sighing, she apologized to Doug and left.

Returning home with one hand over her growling stomach, Claire patted her pockets for the scraps she'd pinched. At least she had something. "Yeah, but not much. Guess I'll be going cold turkey until I make some money. But if I don't start making money..." She was afraid to finish the sentence, thereby recognizing the possibility.

"Wait!" A girl with red braids came running out of the inn, dressed in a cleaning tee and shorts. In her hands was a steaming bowl of fried rice. "I don't mean to embarrass you with leftovers, but I can't let you leave hungry." The girl smiled in a genuinely kind and goofy fashion that made Claire smile.

"You would do this for me? You can't give me free food!"

"No, but I can charge you for a minimum fee." Claire felt the skin on her neck prickle. "I want 5 gold."

"That's still free!" Claire said with relieved and breathless laughter. She forked over the few coins. "How can I repay you? I don't wanna leave you with an empty promise that I'll pay you back."

"If you're willing to say that, I know you will. I trust you." Sitting on the fence outside the Aja Winery, the girls introduced themselves. Ann explained briefly of her parents' unhappy lives in the suburbs, her mother miserable in the pre-K PTA and her father detesting his daily commute into the city. She detailed their ecstasy from her then-toddler's eyes when they located the tiny town, where their dream of having their own business was possible. Just as the inn was finished, her mother died.

"You're so calm and open about it. I'd be blubbering like a baby!"

"It's okay, I've kinda come to terms with it." Ann swung her feet gaily, hands on her knees, unclasped and unstressed. "I guess because she died when I was so young, my image of her was super simplified. Of course I loved her. But my little heart knew she was happy here, and that so long as she was here, even if she had died, she was at peace. And if she's at peace, so am I."

Sincere in her admiration of Ann's serenity, Claire stopped eating to nod out of respect. "I wish I had something more moving to tell you, but you got guts."

Ann leaned back with laughter, skillful balance keeping her firmly on the fence. "That's nice of you to say! Gr, fear my awesome guts!"

Claire chuckled at her silliness, digging back into the fried rice. "I never expected such hospitality. I don't want to owe you for very long- could I maybe take up some of your chores at the inn?"

"You've got a ton of work to do! I couldn't let you. I told you, I think you'll keep your promise, that you'll bring in the small fee when your first harvest comes in."

"Please, let me help!" The blonde pleaded, clasping the empty bowl close. "I'll do all that I can. I know you trust me, but I don't want to get you in trouble with your dad. You guys sound tight, and I don't wanna be the one that wrecks things."

"If you insist. Help me waitress during the bar hours; that's when I really need help."

"Thank you."

--- --- ---

The next day, Claire raced around to gather her wild shipments and honey before heading to the supermarket. In the far corner of town, she nearly collided with a mountain of books on legs. "Whoa!" Claire gasped. "Sorry about that!" She grabbed the sides of the mountain to help steady the ominously quaking pile.

A timid face appeared beside the mountain. Claire instantly thought of a moon in the night sky, so pale and round was the girl's face, so dark and silky was her hair. Her eyes, a deepest, midnight blue, did indeed have a star-like twinkle. Her glasses were dark and cumbersome; if one were to focus on them instead of her beautiful visage, they would think her ugly. "Thank you very much!" The moon girl peeped. "I was sure they were going to fall on me again!"

"Again?" Claire chuckled, reaching up to take some of the books off her massive pile. She followed the moon girl into the library, just a few steps away.

"Oh, yes, I'm quite the klutz. Set them down on the table, I'll place them on the proper shelves later. I'm Mary- you wouldn't happened to be Claire, the new farm girl?"

"Mayor Thomas?"

Mary clasped her white hands and tucked her chin against her collarbone. "Mayor Thomas tells us all the news. Most people in town don't have access to a newspaper or internet, after all, and we only get the local news channel."

"That's right! Small world."

"No kidding." Mary reached behind her desk for a stack of papers, assembled with a jumbo paperclip bent from holding too thick a pile. "It can get a little dull here. That's why I love these books; when I want real-world information, I can have it, even if it is a little late. I can take off on an imaginary tour on a whim." She scratched at the piled papers with a blue pen.

"I understand completely. What's that?"

"Oh, it's silly."

"Tell me!" Claire begged doggedly, seeing in Mary's face that she loved this rare spotlight. "What is it?"

"It's my novel. Care to read it?"

"Oh, can I?" Claire pressed her flat hands together beneath her chin, pursing her lips together. "Please?"

"Take it!" Mary averted her gaze demurely as she forked over the papers. "But be gentle! That's my only copy."

"I understand."

Claire continued the last remnant of her short trip to the supermarket. On the bench outside, she noticed a geeky-looking, rooster-like boy sitting next to a brunette. Pausing for a moment, Claire was sure the girl was supposed to be the village beauty. She didn't see much beauty in her; Mary had her fair beauty, Ann had her robust health. She saw nothing beautiful in Karen's made-up face, her straightened hair, her clipped and perfect nails.

She waved courteously to both before entering. Zack noticed her immediately and gripped her shoulder. "How you holdin' up, okay?" He talked her ear off while simultaneously making her laugh her ass off. Glancing at his watch, he shouted, all his hair standing on end, "Oh, Geez! I had no idea it was so late! I gotta get back to the shop. See you around, Claire!"

Still chuckling, Claire gathered up four bags of turnips. While she was in the library, she had thought to look up the crops she might be buying. The cheapest and fastest growing, turnips were at once the premium choice for her low budget and repaying Ann quickly.

The cashier looked preoccupied, brow furrowed, as he calculated the charge of her purchase. "That'll be 480 gold, please."

Claire handed over the majority of her savings in its bag, having counted out the money beforehand in Mary's library. The cashier counted and managed a smile. "Thank you, have a nice day."

"You too. But are you okay?"

He grimaced. "I have stomach trouble. I'm fine."

Laughing a little at his face and a little at what she was going to say, yet again, "Can I help?"

"Really?"

"Sure." Running errands for people was a great way to make friends, so long as she could keep all of her promises.

"Take these and buy this medicine from Elli at the clinic next door." He handed her a few rolls of gold and a little piece of paper with a scribbled name. "She can read my handwriting."

Claire popped into the Clinic next door, wondering if the only medical center would be as rustic as the supermarket. Surprisingly, it was just as creepy and sterile-smelling as a city hospital. Maybe even more so.

With big brown eyes and a heart-shaped face, the girl Claire presumed to be Elli sat dressed in a fairy outfit with a short apron. Adorable and yet slightly kinky, Claire wasn't sure whether to smile or keep a straight face. "Hello, I'm here to pick up some medicine for the cashier."

Upon taking the rolls and paper, Elli reached into a lower drawer. "Oh, Jeff? He has a terrible time with his stomach. Here you go." Claire snatched up the sienna-tinted bottle with thanks, retreating from the confusingly dressed figure behind the desk.

She couldn't explain why if she was asked, but as she neared the door, Claire was inclined to look behind the blue curtain-wall. She saw a stony doctor sitting at a tiny white desk, smaller than his nurse's, gripping his black bangs in both white-knuckled hands. Pity warmed in her stomach. Her voice took up a higher, softer register than she had used since she arrived.

"Sir? Are you alright?"

The only sign of startling the doctor gave was the unclenching of his fingers. He raised his head in a slow, retrained manner, smiling at her with gray and clinical eyes. Immediately Claire's pity froze at the sight of the chilling gray eyes. They unnerved her, and she found herself at a lack of words. "Yes, thank you. I don't recognize you- simply call me Doctor. It's nice to meet you."

Eyes wide as a doe's, she bowed slightly. "I'm Claire- my pleasure." She escaped as quickly as she could to the outside, the warmth, the air.

Claire delivered the medicine to a grateful Jeff, who thanked her with a valuable bag of grass. Returning to the farm, Claire continued in a clockwise pattern. She passed Carter briefly and exchanged small talk. The calm clergyman told her in a sleepy voice about the little sprites living behind the church. One eye twitching, Claire was prepared to make another hasty getaway. But then she came across a small path, leading behind the church.

She looked back to the clergyman, who smiled peacefully, knowingly at her. Blonde hair a-flurry behind her, she ran up the tiny footpath, eager to see such "sprites".

A tiny thatch hut only as tall as she was stood humbly at the end. Tiny screams of horror could be heard within- a tabby cat leered into the front door. Claire disliked cats herself. But at their size? She clucked her tongue to alert the tabby of her presence before nudging it with the tip of her boot. With a begrudging "nyao", he slinked away.

Claire bent on her hands and knees to see within the little hut. She felt like Alice in Wonderland! Each sprite, no larger that the length of her forearm, wore a shirt and cap of one color of the Roy G. Biv rainbow. Miniature teacups were strewn about the table, a platter tossed asunder, the little sprite in green crying in the arms of the sprite in violet. "Budum!" Cried the latter sprite. "Thank you for saving us from Tiger!"

Claire struggled to suppress a giggle. "You're very welcome. What happened?"  
"He ruined our tea party, Budum!" Wailed the green sprite. "And my biscuits were perfect!" The violet sprite hugged him close in a brotherly fashion.

"I'm terribly sorry."

A red sprite piped up cheerily. "Not to fret, Budum! Spring is the season for tea parties. There will be plenty more time for tea and biscuits. Maybe you'll come next time, Budum!"

--- --- ---

Over the course of a few more days, Claire would quickly befriend the sprites. They came to visit after dark, hoping she would let them ride the new foal Barley had brought over. They raced him inside his little six-by-twelve pen, giggling, shrieking joy, four atop him at any given moment. Timid would reach out a tentative palm and feed him a bit of turnip. The foal would gum his lips and snarf down the morsel, making Timid squeal.

All the while, Claire would sit on the stone fence, thinking. Helping Ann with her chores had not been difficult. But her miniscule workload had multiplied exponentially in only a few days; first she had only wild shipments, now she had several "horseshoes" worth of crops. Eventually she would have chickens, then livestock, et cetera! At this rate, her workload would soon become intolerable, consuming all her time. She still had promises to keep with Ann and Mary.

"Hey, guys," Claire said, talking to three sidelined sprites. "Any chance you could help me out? If you'd be willing to water my crops, I'd be willing to barter."

Hoggy shouted, "Food!"

Nappy mumbled, "Biscuits and Tea!"

"Flour!" Timid peeped. "Honey!"

Claire laughed, waving her arms. "One at a time! Sure, I'll bring flour and honey if you guys will help me out."

She left the foal with the sprites to help at Doug's. Ann welcomed her at the door, slapping an apron on her front and a broom in her hand. "Ready to go?" She smiled, her eyes glimmering with glowing cheer.

"Oh, yes!" Claire tied a bandana over her hair with nimble fingers, racing the redhead upstairs. Mop and bucket in hand, Ann beat her there by a landslide.


	2. Year 1: Ch 2

They swept, mopped, scrubbed, and waxed the floors in both gigantic rooms. All the while Ann hummed to herself, did little dances, and interrupted Claire's train of thought with friendly conversation. "The town isn't so strange. It's just folksy!"

"I don't know." Claire leaned against her broom. "There are some odd characters in this place."

"Don't I know that! I happen to be one of them, thank you very much!" She giggled to herself, wiggling her butt, dancing with herself as she cleaned. "But who were you talking about, particularly? Barley can be pretty strange..."

"Yeah, he freeloaded this colt onto me. But even the kids our age- that Karen's got an attitude, Popuri has brains like a horse sprouts leaves, and Rick looks like a deformed domestic fowl."

"But they all have their good points! Karen can be bossy, but she's very generous. And Rick is friendly and loyal. Popuri- I don't like Popuri much myself..."

Claire laughed in spite of herself. "I guess your right. Such characters add character, eh?"

"Yeah, true. Actually..." She scuttled close to whisper into Claire's ear, despite the fact that they were alone. "That long-haired traveler is really cute!"

"The tramp?"

"Well, I wouldn't call him that, but yeah. You got a crush of your own?"

"Not really. I want to stay uninvolved with guys until I have something to offer a potential husband."

"Ah, you're abstaining?"

"No!" Claire chuckled until she saw Ann's puzzled, innocent face. Clearly this wasn't the country way. "I mean, yes, but I'm talking about property and assets."

"Oh! I see."

Claire approached the poultry farm counter looking like hell. Her hair was rumpled on one side, her eyes were blackened and softly saggy. Her clothes were washed but painfully stiff-looking. Lillia gasped behind the counter, speaking in her hushed nightingale voice. "Oh, dear! Are you alright?"

Beginning to catch on to the country way, Claire smiled despite her agony. "I'm fine, just a little tired. I've come to buy a chicken."

When she walked home from the inn after talking to Ann the other night, Claire thought over their conversation. If she waited to date until she developed her farm the men would all be picked over. There was no harm in getting to know them! And so she added one more thing onto her towering to-do list, which every day seem to cut her down ten more inches.

She shipped her wild goods, tended her crops, and gathered gifts for her possible dates plus the sprites. She would then run around town like a delivery girl, making it home at maybe three having left at eleven. After finishing her farm chores, she would run to the inn and help Ann. At the end of the day she would curl up in her bed with a candle and read Mary's story 'till midnight.

Dazed, Claire was embarrassed to ask, "Excuse me, what was that?"

"Claire, you really must rest. Maybe you should see the Doctor."

"No, ma'am, I'm fine. Just need a nap. Thank you for your concern."

"Alrighty, if you're sure. I'll have Rick bring over your chicken. Since it looks like everything else is taking a bite out of you, I'll give you five free bushels of chicken feed with it. This is your first purchase, after all."

"Thank you so much!"

"Not a problem. You have a name in mind for your chicken?"

"Amy."

"How sweet! Thank you for your purchase, and have a nice day," she said obligatorily, but in a mutedly cheery tone. "And Claire, don't forget to catch a little catnap."

Claire smiled at the matronly figure. "Yes'm. And I'll take great care of Amy."

Having made her delivery rounds, Claire had one other big purchase to make that day: a basket. In a recent visit, the Mayor had tipped her off to the betting that went on at the up-and-coming horse races. He told her about the prize list. Her interest piqued, Claire had gone immediately to the library to look up the sales prices of the prizes. If she bought a basket and filled it with horse race prizes, she could make a thousand-fold profit. Problem was, if she lost all her money betting...

Claire paid for the basket still deep in thought. There had to be some way to guarantee her earning the necessary 500 medals. Bribe was low, and she lacked the means. She would never be able to alter her bets afterward in such a small pool. Ashamed of herself, Claire shook her head and sighed. That wasn't what she wanted the others to think of when they heard "city girl".

Unless she wanted to contend with her heavy-hitting conscious, she would have to play fair. Rather, she would have to not cheat at the races, seeing as selling her prizes wouldn't be playing fair, and neither would be playing the local boys. Claire looked down at her watch with a groan- it was already eight!

With the sprites running her ranch, Claire walked into Rose Square as the horse races were about to begin. She placed her bets carefully, listening to the arguments between Saibara, Doug, and Duke as she noted the odds for each horse. "Well," she figured, scratching notes on a napkin beside her betting card, "the favorite never wins. The lowest bets look like- me." She laughed bitterly at herself. "And Saibara's argument is definitely the soundest. These three must be winners."

Claire watched all three races from the edge of her seat. She pumped her arms, shouted and jumped up and down, hoping against all hope that someone would give her a sign that she'd done the right thing. Her first race was dead-on, but with smallish payout. The second was a nail-biter that her horse nabbed at the last second. The last, she lost bitterly.

She was so disappointed she thought she'd cry. But then she did some figuring on her napkin. The second payout was huge! If she added right- and she checked three times- her medals would reach about 550. She jumped off her seat and scurried to the desk to collect her medals. "Congratulations!" The pudgy Mayor Thomas exclaimed. "You've won quite the sum. What'll it be?"

"I want thirty broaches, please."

After Zack left, Claire counted and recounted her profits patiently. It couldn't be possible. No way it was possible. It just wasn't possible.

But it was. It had happened.

She had gone from under a hundred to over 65,000G in an hour. Sitting breathless, she divided her wealth into 5,000G allotments, placing the smaller bags into one jumbo bag. This she hid beneath the creaky floorboard under her bed. Smiling, she promised herself that she would never repair that board.

Where did she go from here? Her first instinct was to bang on the Inn door and tell Ann. The cheery redhead wouldn't tell anyone. But suppose she did, suppose someone overheard? Of course Claire lived alone and would be easy to rob. But no one in town would ever try it, and her watchful puppy, DeGraw, would never allow it. What worried her more was the second option; if word got out that she was suddenly loaded, how would this affect her ability to make friends and date? People might start mooching. Others might hate her for her good fortune and cunning.

But if she didn't tell Ann and she should find out, Ann would have every reason to be upset. It was a hefty secret to keep from a friend, especially one whom had confided so much in Claire already. Torn, Claire weighed her options on her open palms, adding a coin for each statement.

"I tell her: mooching." Clink. "Jealousy leads the townspeople to dislike me." Clink. "If the townspeople dislike me, business will be difficult." Clink. "Dating is marred, as boys refuse to date me or agree to date me solely because of my windfall." Clink.

"I tell her not: Ann might be upset." Clink.

Feeling like dirt, Claire faced her outnumbered hand. Could she really treat her friend as a phrase upon a pro-con chart? She sighed. She would have to or she would never decide. Resignedly dropping the coins back into a bag, Claire flopped onto her bed to not sleep.

During the last few days of spring, Claire mastered a new routine for alternately working and giving gifts of flour to different sprites. Her accidental timing was ideal, she would later realize; her end-of-season crops were not particularly important, so the first watering sprites could practice without worry. They would have at least a little experience when dealing with her more valuable summer crops.

Her significantly bulkier bag of savings made buying seeds an almost leisurely experience. She enjoyed buying whatever she felt she would have the energy to water. Three bags of corn, tomatoes, onions, sure! No problem. And anything she could water would be easy for two sprites working together.

Bags of seeds teetering in her arms, Claire quickly dropped them off before heading towards the beach. Ann had tipped her off to a tan new fella in town, another 'cutie'... but then again, Ann seemed to think every nonresident guy was a cutie. Except Won, of course.

Passing Barley's farm, Claire thought of her empty barn. She saw the adorable little girl with thick twin black braids, lovingly brushing the silky fur of a lowing calf. Despite the possibility of a hot new guy in town, she felt drawn into the homey farmhouse. She bought two calves and two lambs on a whim.

"Crap," She muttered to herself, finally in the direction of the beach. "One, I'm late now, and two, I spent way too much money today..." She marched through Rose Square without much thought, waving an obligatory "hi" to the gossiping trio. Some of Jeff's earliest advice muttered in her head, _don't worry about spending your money, it'll come back_. But he had been talking about seeds- was this the same thing? Of course, she had not gone on a shopping spree and bought a new wardrobe. But as a farmer that arrived dirt poor not a season ago, she should have been spending money sparingly as a slightly less poor farmer. She should have only bought one or two of each crop, bought only one calf. "Damn."

"Take that back!" Claire's head snapped up from the sandy, weedy stair boards. Rick the rooster was squawking- his arms even flapped!- at some dark dude in front of a little white shack. She missed the rest of the conversation gratefully, stepping out of the molting rooster's way as he stormed off the beach.

She watched the dark guy, who stared blankly back for a while. She gestured with a hijacker's thumb over his shoulder, he shrugged. They laughed at each other without restraint. "I'm Claire!" She hollered over her shoulder, hurrying down the stairs to gather up the orange and yellow herbs.

"Hey, I'm Kai."

"I haven't seen you before. Do you live in that white... building?" She asked, refraining from using the word 'shack' in case it should be euphemized.

"I'm only here in the summer, so you won't see too much of me. Nah, the Snack Shack is just my business. I stay at the Inn."

Claire cast her new present from Zack, a creaky fishing line, out from the dock as Kai explained his romantic trouble. Apparently he was interested in that dolt, Popuri, and was like a son to Lillia, but could not get along with Rick in the least. He did not want to befriend the clucky rooster, but if he was ever going to get more seriously involved with Popuri, he would have to. And to befriend Rick, he would need to show that he did was not just interested in having fun, that he could provide for a family; he would have to find a way to support himself in the town all year.

Reeling in a sardine after a fantastic fight, Claire sighed ironically at the wriggling little sea-worm. Kai laughed, making her laugh, too. She pocketed the little guy. "Bait."

"Wouldn't be good for much else. Couldn't even make a single onigiri out of him. Not that sardines make good stuffing anyway..."

"Ew. At least go for salmon."

"Actually," Kai plunked down beside her, kicking off his sandals before dunking his feet in the water. "I'm really craving some pineapple."

"Try the general store. They've got everything." Claire bit some honeyed blue grass, stiff and preserved with sugar. It cracked like a fresh carrot between her teeth.

"Hardly. I come from the city, where they really sell everything in _supermarkets_, that's what most people call them."

Claire snorted around her honeyed grass. "I would know. I'm from the city, too."

"What's the city for you?"

"Newburg."

"Pansy Easterner! I'm from Sanctuma."

"Good for nothing Westerner."

"Just because you work too hard doesn't mean you can make fun of us for chilling!" Kai elbowed her. "Sanctuma is a party city. We know how to live."

"Just because you don't have an ethic doesn't mean you can live all work and no play! Newburg is a productive city. We know how to support ourselves." She stuck her tongue out at him, and his big brown eyes widened.

"He-ey!" She recognized the accent common in western cities, "Yeah the poverty level is high, but it doesn't mean everybody's a tramp."

"_Prove_ it."

He snickered at her heavy, eastern emphasis. "What you wanna bet?"

"Five hundred gold."

"Make it a grand."

"Deal. You haveta work all day for the whole season- if not on your shack, then in the mines, the Inn, wherever."

"Only the chillest of folks can grow pineapple. You have to grow one patch of pineapple, and spend two hours chilling with me at my shack."

"Deal." She flung out a curved and clenched hand for the tense eastern shake; he shoved out a fist for the western pound-it. Eventually they agreed on elbowing. "I'm going to go buy some pineapple right now!" She declared, walking off.

"I gotta go find me another job. No way I can spend so much time holed up in one place. See ya!"

Claire chuckled to herself as she entered Zack's. That Kai was cool, and every bit as hot as Ann ever said. She owed her friend twenty gold, just as they bet.

Won's pale face shook her behind the counter. It did every time! It wasn't a fair, pearlescent beauty, like Mary's skin. It was ghastly, ghostly, god-awful. Regaining her sense enough to stop gawking, Claire cleared her throat. "Sorry. Can I buy a bag of pineapple seeds?"

The merchant turned around in his gaudy outfit, queue swinging wildly behind him. He snatched up a blotchy yellow baggie and dropped it on the counter. Claire noted the way it sagged. "One thousand gold."

"For a full bag?"

The merchant sighed. "Five hundred gold."

"For dry seeds?"

He gritted his teeth. "Two hundred and fifty, gold. Final offer!"

"Give me a real bag of seeds, Won. I'll pay full price for a full bag of quality seeds."

His eyes narrowed comically in what should have been an eerie glare. "Damn you. I try to sell what I cannot get rid of. Always you catch me." He reached into the back of the box before him, bringing forth a bright bag, almost bursting with seeds. "I would try to sell it for three thousand to the naïve, but it appears I cannot win with you. Two thousand?"

"One thousand." Claire crossed her arms in tedium. "Final offer."

Won clenched his tiny, sickeningly pale fists. "Fine. Take your damned quality seeds."

"Here's your grand. Have a nice day!" She put gusto into her cheering expression, enjoying Won's hiss of pain and disdain as she left. She loved bargaining with the cheap vendor.


	3. Year 1: Ch 3

That same evening, Claire would scratch out the horseshoe of earth for her pineapple patch. These seeds were too damned expensive not to grow! Conditions had to be perfect. She asked the watering sprites that day- Nappy and Bold- to completely avoid the patch next to the fish pond; if they failed, she wanted only herself to blame. The particular plot had rich, loamy soil, a ready water supply, and constant, direct sunlight. She weeded the patch meticulously and fenced it in with smaller rocks as a reminder to the sprites (and runaway chickens).

She barely slept at all that night. Waking late, she scooped up her errands incarnate and shouted directions to the sprites, "Guys? I'm really sorry but I've got to-"

"Budum!" Staid scolded, holding a ripe onion over his head. "It's a sin against the Harvest Goddess to wake late!"

"I know, but I didn't get much sleep, and-"

Nappy gasped. He nearly threw down his miniscule watering gun in indignation. "You dishonor one of the sacred talents given to you by the Harvest Goddess?"

"I'm sorry, I-"

The sprites around her had all stopped working. Bold sat down, taking off his cap. "I cannot respect a farmer who does not honor the blessings against the Harvest Goddess. You must confess, or we will refuse to work!"

Claire sighed, not having the time or energy to deal with the labor strike at hand. "I will confess!" She bowed deeply to them, gifts and deliveries in hand, before scurrying off of her own property.

Rick was thrilled to see his spa-boiled egg, and the Doctor's eyes shone with gratitude and enthusiasm when presented with milk. Gray blushed and snatched the copper ore out of her hands, only for Saibara to yell at him again. Claire ordered a silver upgrade for her sickle before leaving. She would have bought a gold upgrade, but she remembered that appearances had to be maintained.

As late as ever, Claire approached the church door, out of breath, at half past one. She composed herself and finger-combed her hair.

The door opened for her. "Hello, Claire! Isn't it a beautiful day?" Carter asked serenely, sleepy eyes tipped back towards the sunshine. When he turned towards her the shining little black pupils danced with light.

"Yes, Father." She looked down, unfamiliar with the address.

"Ah, please, Claire. Call me Carter."  
"But shouldn't you be called Father, or Reverend, or something?"

"That is my own choice. I was never comfortable with the formal names of clergymen myself. And the bane of religion is hypocrisy. Let me strive to be a decent priest in all the small ways, and perhaps I will be a great one in larger life." She smiled at the miniature sermon, the act of which he returned earnestly. "You have something to tell me?"

"Yes, actually. How…?"

"Do me a small favor in return. See the young gentlemen sitting in the front pew?"

"Isn't he the tramp from the Inn?"

"Prince or pauper, he is a worshipper in my church. His spirit is ragged and without hope, and he has neither friends nor the demeanor to make any. Encourage him and we will talk." He smiled pleasantly at her, nodding. He then turned to weed the herbs from out between the headstones.

Claire strode up the aisle amazed at Carter's ability to persuade others to help him without making them resentful. She had to observe him, talk with him, learn his talent. The knack for recruiting help could benefit anyone, especially an overworked farm girl…

The tramp was hunched over in prayer. He mumbled to himself from under a ponytail mess of matted copper wires. Claire poked his side to make him startle and squeal. "H-hey!" Did he just whine? His voice dropped along with his eyes. "Please go away…"

"No way. My name is Claire; I'm the new farmer from across town. I've seen you at the Inn."

"Yes, I'm staying there. I'm Cliff." His hand was like a dead fish in her shake.  
"No!" She laughed, kneeling down beside him. She modeled with her own tense hand. "Give me a strong, manly grip! Show me that you mean your hello!"

"R-right." He extended his hand several times until she finally felt he had passed her test. His laugh bubbled up from beneath his self-consciousness, bringing ruddy color into his freckled and sun-tanned cheeks. "Thank you, Claire. It was a pleasure to meet you."

Carter remained true to his word and allowed Claire to confess immediately after. He forgave her glowingly, promising to pass the news along to her striking sprites.

Sweating her way through the long summer, Claire balanced work and relaxation as best she knew. She missed out on most of the festivals because she lacked the means to win- and she was the sorest loser she knew- but she 'chilled' with Kai for two hours every day. His snack shack was becoming a permanent part of her routine, and it pained her to think of doing without it.

"Yeah," he told her the other day, "I leave for the city come the first day of autumn. I don't like the cold, but the pay is also much better down there. I live off that money when I stay here. The Inn is expensive, y'know!"

Claire sat on the tiny stone fence. Having finished watering her near-ripe pineapples, she regarded her newly upgraded home. The fireworks festival was coming up. If she decided to invite someone, she could invite them in for a bite to eat…

She weighed her options, toeing at a springy young weed. "Well, all of the guys are familiar with me now. Of course, the Doctor and Rick like me most because they get their favorite gifts daily, but I'm much better friends with Kai because of all the time I spend with him. Cliff is the newest edition, and Gray is so shy- I don't really know where I stand with either of them.

"To ask any of them would show favoritism and discourage the guys that could be more earnestly interested. It's still early in the game; maybe I should lay low.

"But that presents another problem: if I don't have a date, what should I do? If I don't go, I appear antisocial. If I appear alone, I appear pitiful, the only single amongst a beach full of couples. If I bring a friend, I have to choose carefully to give the right impression…" Claire sighed, not expecting to be mimicked. "Timid?"  
"Yes, Budum?"

"What are you doing, little guy? It's well past the time you should be home."

He giggled. "I am home, Budum."

"I'm serious! I'll carry you to the hut."

"Can't I stay with you, Budum?" He pleaded wistfully, clasping his hands together, resting on his cheek like a robin's egg in a moonlit nest.

"Timid…" If she had to declare a favorite male, under torture, Claire would probably name the little green sprite beside her. "Just for tonight."

"Budum?"

"Yes, Timid."

"Could I go with you?"

"To the fireworks festival?"

"Why, yes, Budum."

Claire tipped back his cap with the ends of her fingers and kissed his tiny cheek. "That would be wonderful!"

He giggled, hugging himself. "Can my brothers come?"

"Of course, Timid."

Claire arrived after everyone else, followed by her rainbow troop of ducklings plus DeGraw. The dog and Hoggy shared the unconditional love of food, hence they were each other's favorite company.

"Couldn't find a man?" Karen remarked, turning her head in such a fashion that made her hair fan out around her head. Inside her head Claire rolled her eyes, first at Karen's snobbery, next at Rick's drooling, incoherent face.

"I found plenty, but none to my liking."

"Oh!" Kai staggered, hand clutching his chest in feigned heart attack. "Claire, how could you?" Cliff laughed at his act; Gray smiled at Claire's remark. Claire noted that the Doctor was occupied, speaking with Elli with a concerned face, and so was not even aware that she was present. And that Rick was drooling over and babbling with Karen. Minus points.

Shepherding her sprites and dog towards the pier, Claire kept an eye on Gray and Mary. They held hands farther down the beach, as shy and awkward as ever. _Their love is so innocent_, Claire thought to herself. _Mary is a friend of mine and I don't want to hurt her. But Gray has expressed in small ways genuine feelings for me. I had originally hoped that giving the guys gifts would improve business relations and friendships. I think now I may have painted myself in a corner. _

Ann chatted _at _Cliff more than to Cliff, but he seemed happy nonetheless. Occasionally, he would interject an anecdote of his own, and then laugh at the torrent of funny stories the waitress could relate to it. He made no attempt to kiss her or hold her hand. But he smiled and laughed and listened to her, shared his largely mysterious past with her, collectively giving everything he could afford to give. Ann had lived a hard life of her own, full of work. She understood completely not only what he said but what he did not say.

Full of more mixed emotions, Claire watched Popuri stumble into their conversation. She was definitely a pretty girl. But she was so ditzy and unintentionally callous that she destroyed the delicate balance of Ann and Cliff's chemistry-based conversation. Claire felt like grabbing the girl by her pastel hairs and throwing her into the sea, hoping she did not know how to swim. Then she decided that the act would be hypocritical; she had been wooing five other girls' men for the last two seasons.

"Hey." Kai seemed to materialize out of the dusk as he sat down beside her. "Why you givin' my girlfriend the evil eye?"

"I'm not."

"Liar."

"Schmoozer."

He laughed in spite of himself, tying his bandana behind his head. "So how're my pineapples doing?"

"Actually…" Claire reached into her bag. She pulled out a bundle of pale washcloths, swaddling a fresh, prickly pineapple. Triumphantly, she handed it to him. "Congratulations, it's a fruit."

"Awesome! This looks delicious. Hey, I'm gonna go stick it in the icebox in the Snack Shack. Come over tomorrow and eat it with me."

"Aren't you going to eat it with Popuri?"

He looked behind to make sure his girlfriend was engrossed in her own ambling conversation. "As cute as she is, she doesn't really get what it is to work for something. She's been given everything she has. I know it might sound silly, but this pineapple is your prize for working hard all summer. You should only have to share the prize with those who understand your struggle and your achievement."

"All of this from Kai the slacker?"

"There are two kinds-a slackers. There are grade-A slackers, who do absolutely nothing or sleep when they slack, and there are those who simply slack by avoiding mandatory work. I am a grade-B slacker. I read a little bit, do a bit-a thinking in my spare time."

"You mean 'freed-up' work time."

"Same thing."

Claire would come to remember the festival not for the fireworks themselves so much as the realizations and observations she made about her peers. She was not just protecting her secret windfall anymore. Her friendships and possible loves were in danger as well as her fruitful business relations if she meddled clumsily. She would remember dangling her toes in the salt water, wearing a multicolored coat of sprites and summer lights.

On the last day of summer, Claire called all of the sprites together. "Nappy and Bold, Chef and Timid!" she addressed them in their pairs, "I know you normally water, but we're switching jobs today. Help Hoggy and Staid harvest, and help Staid keep his partner from snacking on my produce."

Aqua waited patiently for an order as the others were dismissed to their work. "Budum?"

"Yeah?"

"What's my job?"

"Oh!" Claire smacked her forehead. "I didn't call you because your job didn't change. You're still in charge of the animals."

"My mistake! Thank you, Budum!" he ran off with a squeak, eager to catch up on his work.

Claire had been unsure about her system for division of labor of late; more than half the sprites watered, about a quarter harvested, and only little Aqua catered to her livestock. Originally, this had only made sense. In the past season alone, she grew about a dozen shoes* of crops. Two alternating pairs of sprites would water these, because the job was too much for one novice sprite, and each pair needed time to rest. For three days after four days of rest, Claire would hire one of the two sprites for harvesting, as crops were not always ripe, and almost never all at once. Hence the last lone sprite would take care of what was then a single chicken.

But having upgraded her watering can to the gold level, Claire could afford to hire only one sprite to help her water at any given time. She equipped her sickle and took out a row of tomato plants. Then the extra sprite could help Aqua and balance the workload. Being that Claire now had a small coop full of chickens, plus the now-grown pairs of cows and sheep, the lone animal-tending sprite often worked from dawn 'till dusk to finish his task. Not to mention the fact that she planned on breeding more chickens and expanding her barn.

Upon mowing down her entire line of tomatoes, Claire hopped over the empty, picked-over onion section to reach the corn. The small change in schedule would hugely affect the rest of her day. She had been able to almost ignore crops until now, save the occasion weeding and caring for her pineapples. It had allowed her to gather wild grapes and grasses before seven, spa boil Rick's egg, and chop lumber for the barn upgrade she was planning. When she watered, this would be pushed back another hour, as well as the delivery of her presents, helping Ann, and so on…

"Not necessarily," she mumbled to herself, wiping away a film of sweat with her arm. It did little good, as her arm was similarly soaked. "If I water between my deliveries and helping Ann, my schedule might be able to go on largely unimpeded." But as she drew back her sickle to shave down another row of corn, a yelp rose up behind her.

"I didn't mean it! I didn't mean it!"

Claire turned to Kai's paled face. Ironically, it was still darker than her own. "What were you going to do, anyway?"

He smiled guiltily, cradling a gigantic, wiggling water balloon just waiting to burst. "Nothin' big. Just a little going away present."

"In this weather? It'd be a blessing! C'mon, let's sit in the shade of my apple tree for a little. The sun is fierce right here."

"Ain't that the truth." They plopped down together where the grass was lush and the shade luxuriant, but the air still stagnant in the nineties. "I came to say goodbye for the summer."

"Oh, yeah, you warned me earlier that it's too expensive for you to stay here long."

"Hey, don't get so down. I'll be back next year."

Claire sighed, crossing her arms over her sinking stomach. "It'll be a long time without you. I get along well enough with the girls here, and the guys are alright, but you've become my buddy. I spend a helluva lotta time with you. All of sudden, when you're gone, there'll be this big hole in my day."

"Mine too, man.," he said in tired, resigned agreement. They sat together for what felt like a long while, trying to fish for some comforting word or phrase or common memory. Claire kept coming up with the equivalents of boots and tin cans.

"Budum!" Staid cried evenly, "We have finished harvesting. May we swim in the fish pond?"

Jolted back into focus, Claire got to her feet. "Of course! You guys have been great, and that pond's nearly empty. I'll go rustle up some cookies and grape juice for you."

"Why thank you, Budum! Refreshments would be greatly appreciated."

Kai chuckled sadly as he stood. "Little guy sounds like a soldier."

"Staid is very serious." Claire wiped her hands on her overalls before she started tugging on her ear. "Any chance I could get you to stay?"

"I can't afford it, Claire." His voice was faintly annoyed; he expected an easier break from his friend.

"No, I mean, I wanna know if you'd be willing to work here during the other seasons. Then I wouldn't have to work the sprites so hard and you could see Popuri whenever you want."

He laughed incredulously. "For real?"

"Sure! They can't be paying you much in the cities. I'll double your weekly wage from your last job, no problem. But there's a catch."

"Oh?"

"I'll make you work."

He laughed harder, shaking her hand in steady pumps. "Y'got yourself a slave, man! Wow! Imagine Popuri's face when she hears this!" He thanked her several more times, running to the farm exit only to stop and turn sharply. "Who won the bet?"

"You did." Claire smiled at him with a wave. Her hand continued to sway, her palm still tingling, until she bid farewell only to the imprint of his beaming face in her mind.

Feeling self-pity creeping up her veins, Claire pushed herself to make the cookies and juice for her chilling sprites. "Guys? I'm going out for just a bit. Watch the farm for me?"

With two cookies shoved in his mouth, Hoggy nodded like a chipmunk.

"Of course, Budum," Staid responded, more soberly.

With only a half an hour left until closing time, Claire sprinted to the supermarket. The running helped suppress her mixed emotions.

"Ah, Claire! I was just about to close up." Jeff stood from behind the counter, closing sign in hand. "Are you alright?"

Claire caught her breath and gulped. "I came to twist your arms for seeds."

"Are you crazy? Nothing will grow in under twenty-four hours-"

"For the fall, Jeff."

"I can't sell you items early!"

"Why not? There's no other competition in town! You can hardly say it wouldn't be fair to your other nonexistent seed-buyers."

Jeff absently touched one side of his neat mustache. "This is true…"

"Please, Jeff. I want to plant them first thing tomorrow morning."

"Fine," he sighed after careful consideration. He reached under the counter for a key, with which he opened several closed cabinets behind him. Producing several bags of seeds, he turned to Claire. "Pick what you want, but hurry. I close up in less than five minutes."

She hardly needed time to decide. The day before, Claire had visited Mary to consult her father's books on the growing time of given seeds. She bought only a few bags of sweet potatoes and eggplants, but several bags carrots. Her logic was that she would have to replace the carrots every week or so. She had haggled with Won yesterday as well- he'd given her four bags of green peppers for only 400G!

As Claire finished paying and packing up her seeds, Elli burst in. "Jeff! I almost forgot to pay the Doctor's bill. Please forgive me for being so late."

"Elli, just pay me tomorrow."

"I can't, Jeff, we'll be working all day tomorrow. Lillia-"

The kind cashier sighed. "What's his bill again?"

"About three thousand." She handed over the receipt and money, head bowed.

Jeff counted the coins discreetly, adding them into the register. He kept checking back at Elli. Claire felt terrible. Clearly she fell short of the full amount. "Jeff," Claire piped up, "Give Elli her money back."

"Why?"

Claire quickly counted up twenty 100G coins and a 1000G note. She dropped it into Jeff's hand, forcibly taking Elli's money and giving it back to her. "Elli, you shouldn't have to pay for him."

The nurse bowed her head. "You didn't have to- thank you so much…"

"Elli, the Doctor should pay his own bill."

"He's so concerned about the others."

"He's a great Doctor, I agree. But he could at least give you his own money when you pay his bill!" Elli said nothing; Claire knew she could say nothing against her beloved Doctor. "Is he still in?"

"Yes. Are you alright?"

"I've got a headache. I think I'm going to give the Doctor a piece of my mind. Thanks for the seeds, Jeff!"

The cashier and nurse looked back at each other and the slammed door repeatedly, utterly bewildered. The tiny bell mounted on the door, faintly dinging, seemed an ominous toll for the Doctor.

Claire did not knock, contrary to the country way. She marched up to his tiny white desk and cleared her throat. The Doctor, previously engrossed in his work, looked up at Claire with a smile. "Ah, Claire. How are you feeling?"

One hand on his desk, the other on her hip, Claire looked him in the eye. "Doctor, you don't feel that you're above other people, right?"

"No! I'm here to help the townspeople, not lord over them. I took the oath to do so."

"Then you can do everyday things, even menial errands, like sweeping the floor, cooking dinner, and _paying your own bills_ at the supermarket?"

The Doctor blinked. "What bills?"

Claire presented a receipt she had ripped off the cash register after paying. "These."

With both hands, the Doctor accepted the thin, nearly translucent strip. He blinked. "Three thousand gold? I hardly realized I had racked up such a number. Oh Goddess, I haven't paid a bill in months! I completely forgot. Jeff would have contacted me if my tab was overdue…" He met her gaze gravely. "How have my bills been getting paid?"

"Elli."

The Doctor's eyes flooded with dry pain. "She can't afford to pay three thousand gold a month! She has Stu to look after! And Ellen! And herself! Ah! I should pay her more…"

"It's more than that!" Claire did not raise her voice, but her tone was severe, her diction sharp, her glare fatal. "This is a small town, Doctor, and everyone is looking out for each other. Doug watches out for Ann, Ann watches out for Cliff, Cliff watches out for Carter, Carter watches out for Popuri, and so on! And so on! You may check up on the residents from time to time, but every day of her life Elli has more 'patients' of her own! Your forgetfulness is selfish, adding more work to her list!" Clenching and unclenching her fists in frustration, Claire turned her back to him. "I've said all I need say, Doctor. Good day."

Before she could clear the door, the Doctor stood. "Claire!" She hesitated in the doorframe, looking back. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Next Wednesday, you'll find me in the supermarket."

She smiled back. "You'd better be."


	4. Year 1: Ch 4

Claire now had the luxury of planting her seeds first thing in the morning. Nappy and Bold watered right on her tail. Hoggy, having nothing to harvest, helped sow the other end of the field. They squealed around her as they took care of her work, often singing in what sounded like a Celtic tongue. She loved creeping up behind them and giving them an impromptu shower with her gold watering can.

But Kai was not quite as much fun to keep as a worker. He liked to lie back in the grass when it wasn't tall enough to graze livestock, chewing dried pineapple and soaking up the mellow autumn sunlight. He tended to doze under the apple tree, valuable, half-eaten fruit lolling out of his hand. And of course, then he had to go see Popuri, or horror of horrors, Popuri might come and see him!

Claire was a partial farmer. At the very bottom of her love pyramid were her chickens, which she had no problem leaving outside all day and night so long as the weather was fair. Next came her crops; they were valuable, but she would easily sacrifice them if she had to. The semi-final rank belonged to her dog and horse, her companions that were not so loyal as of yet. Of course, the highest tier in her heart belonged to her cows and sheep. She gingerly brushed them and spoke sweetly to them, singing when she milked the cows or sheared the sheep. They were the pride of her farm.

So when she discovered that Kai had not been careful in feeding her animals, in fact, that he had fed them damp yellow grass and not told her, she flew into a rage. "Kai!" She shouted across her little pasture. "Get your sorry self right here right now!"

The tanned snack shacker slid hesitantly from Popuri's embrace beneath the apple tree. He loped along. "What is it, man?"

"Don't you dare 'man' me, Kai!" She growled, shaking a fistful of dank, greenish-yellow grass at him. "What do you see in my hand?"

"Fodder."

"And what color is it?"

"Uh… a funky blend of yellow and green?"

"And does it look crisp and dry, the way fodder is supposed to?"

"It's kinda droopy."

Throwing down the handful with disdain, Claire asked him, "So why exactly would you feed my animals bad fodder?"

He hesitated, and his lie was given away before it even left his mouth. "I figured it was green 'cause it was fresh, wet because you just cut it." He shrugged, reeking of his usual 'no biggie' manner.

"Bullshit." Her swear brought him into focus, like a quick, disciplinary crop to a lazy horse's flank. "After I invited you to work here, you returned from Popuri's in the evening to help me sickle this pasture. You remarked on how soft mid-height grass is after lying in it all afternoon!"

"But-"

"And to top it all off, the fresh fodder is still drying out in the mown pasture!"

"Oh." Kai stared at the fat, golden bundles stacked along the far side of the pasture's stone fence. "I, uh…"

"Didn't pay attention. I noticed. Come on, I'm gonna teach you how to treat a sick sheep."

"What? I never thought it'd hurt 'em, I just… which one?" His big brown eyes glimmered with guilt as he followed her into the barn.

"The littlest one, Colette." Claire bent down on one knee, pulling Kai down to look at the bloated, laboriously breathing ewe lying on her side. She gently kneaded her knuckles between its eyes, making it bleat weakly. "See the medicine on my tool belt?"

"Yeah."

"Grab it." Kai unhooked the bottle, which had a spoon strapped to it via rubber band. "Sheep get three spoonfuls. I'm gonna press on her gums to open her mouth. You drop that medicine as far down her throat as you can to make sure she swallows it."

"What if she bites me?"

"More power to 'er. Just do it." Of course Claire knew that Colette would not hurt him, being her gentlest charge. The littlest ewe took her medicine without protest. Her breathing eased even as she swallowed.

"Am I done?"

"No. You have to help me burn the rotten fodder, sweep up the silo, spackle the leaks that caused the fodder to rot so quickly, and bring in the fresh fodder."

He followed her as she stood and briskly headed for the house. "Hate to break it to you, Claire, but I got a date with Popuri tonight. I can't help you."

"You don't want to, but you can and you will. You're here to work first and see Popuri second." She disappeared inside for only a moment, reemerging with a toolbox full of spackling tools she bought off Gotz in the summer. Her farm was old and rickety; the little toolbox was probably the best 500G she ever spent. "Popuri," she called. The girl stood from where she had been eavesdropping beneath the apple tree.

"Yes?"

"I'm afraid tonight's date with Kai is cancelled."

"But why? My brother didn't have something to do with this, I hope."

"Not at all! Kai hasn't been tending to his work properly. He needs to learn what the consequences are for not fulfilling his fair share of chores. I don't think you'll be seeing him for a good few days," she concluded.

Kai piped up in irritation. "Who do you think you are, Claire? When did you turn into the anal boss?"

"I turned into the boss when I hired you. I turned 'anal' when one of my animals was put in harm's way because of your carelessness!"

"It's gonna be fine! She even stood up as we were leaving."

"That's only because I thought to check up on her! If I had let her sit there for the night, her sickness could have festered into something untreatable with the medicine here. At that point, there would be no way to save her."

Popuri turned to Kai, wide-eyed. "You wouldn't hurt one of her animals…?"

"No, babe, I didn't."

"Yes, _Popuri_, he did. He fed my ewe bad fodder, which could have made her very sick and eventually kill her."

The lavender-haired girl balled up her pretty little fists, second knuckles pressing into her cheeks. "Kai, how could you? How could you do that to a sweet little lamb? You wouldn't feed our chickens moldy seed, would you?"

"No!"

She turned to Claire's worn face, brow furrowed with frustration and concern. "Somehow I'm not so sure. I hope your little lamb feels better, Claire." She patted the farmer's shoulder. Not looking at the snack shacker, she left with a cold, "Good night, Kai."

"Wait, Popuri! Popuri, baby, just a second!" he hung on the farm's signpost for a second as the reality of her departure set in. He whirled on Claire. "What the hell?"

She spat back. "Just because she's your little girlfriend doesn't mean you have to candy coat everything!"

"If I can protect her from some things, why shouldn't I?"

"You're not _protecting_ her from anything! You're disguising yourself as the white knight and making me look like the bad guy, so she'll side with you and get you off the hook!"

"I am not!"

"Then what are you doing, Kai?" Claire looked him in the eye, her voice raised just below a shout. "_Protecting_ her, are you?"

He stumbled back from the intensity of her gaze. "What the hell happened to my chill friend, Claire? What happened to my buddy?"

"She's right freakin' in front of you, Kai! She's right freaking here! But when you put those I love in danger, you put yourself in danger, got that?"

Panting, Kai watched the second girl that night walk away from him. Claire huffed towards the silo, heavy toolbox forcing her to walk at an angle. Disfigured by the weight of the spackling equipment and her anger, she was a veritable Igor. "Bitch," he muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets before trailing behind.

Though he did not slam the door behind him, there was a bitter tinge to his every movement. He took up the broom, bristles turning green at the bottom, and swept at the small clumps Claire left behind with her heavy rake. They grunted back and forth at each other, "You missed this," and "get that". The silo, dark and cool and rottenly sweet, seemed the perfect incarnation of misunderstanding.

The pair muscled the pile of spoiled fodder into the foal's empty, stone-fenced pen. With the aid of some kindling and a few dry leaves, it smoldered slowly as moonlight glitters in blood, giving off a slightly dark and oily smoke. Kai gently raked the pile from time to time, ensuring that every last blade burned.

But as the spackling and reloading grew tedious, Claire found her resolve to stay angry weakening. Kai was her buddy. So he screwed up; people made mistakes. "Kai?"

"What?"

"I'm sorry I freaked on you, man."

His voiced warmed at the familiar address. "It's cool, Claire. No big."

"I made the exact same mistake when I first started, you know. But I wasn't rushing, I was just being stingy. At the time, I couldn't afford to buy medicine, and honestly thought I was going to lose the cow. Thank God Lillia was kind enough to loan it to me. I paid her back as soon as I could."

"I don't doubt you did. You're not one to wallow in debt." He sat on a particularly well-bound bushel of fodder. "Seriously, man, I understand."

"I don't know how you do, but thanks."

"Don't you remember that time last season when you went fishing on the dock? You left all the garbage you caught on the beach and I flipped out on you."

Claire laughed, plopping down nearby. "I remember that."

"Then you understand why I understand your defense of something you love."

"Ah. the wisdom of the slacker."

"Indeed," Kai mocked Won's nasally rasp. "Ancient eastern secret."

Claire offered him a hand. "I think we're done here. Sorry about your date with Popuri."

"Seriously, it's cool. I didn't really want to go out tonight; believe it or not, I just didn't want you to grill me."

"Understandable," she answered, adamant that he exit the silo first when he held the door for her. Tossing her bangs out of her face, she sat down beside him on the stone fence.

Kai untied his bandana to give his hands something to do as he spoke. "Popuri was all convinced that Doug's food is the best, that Ann's service is the fastest, and so on and so forth. You know how I feel towards the Inn in relation to my shack."

"Not so much jealousy so much as frustration?"

"Exactly!" His exclamation nearly startled Claire right off the fence. He looped an arm behind her to keep her on. "You okay there?"

"Yep."

"See, Popuri doesn't get me like you do. I know she's innocent and naïve, that's what I love about her. But she's so simple, sometimes she can't take in more complicated feelings and motives like frustration, envy, love." He paused, tossing his head back to look at the sky. He squinted. "Sometimes I wonder if she really comprehends love or me, if she really loves me at all or if she's just trying to live out a fairy tale life."

Claire had little to add but a nod. She patted his back, wishing she had something reassuring to add. It was right then that DeGraw decided to hop the pen fence and sit in her lap. "Look at DeGraw, here! He doesn't get complex emotions. He doesn't understand human speech. He's incapable of feeling more than one simple emotion at a time. But nowhere in hell can you say he doesn't love you."

DeGraw gave Kai a fat, wet kiss for emphasis. "I got it, boy, I got the point! Claire, you wouldn't be calling Popuri a dog, would you?" He smirked at her.

"Correction: she's female, which would make her a bitch." They both cracked up very briefly, mutually aware that it was a harmless joke. "All silliness aside, it's just a metaphor."

"Yeah, I understand." He let his eyes close, reliving the brief comfort he had found in her touch. "Claire?"

"Yeah?" She felt his shoulder touching hers, his hand reaching for her own. She bit her lip as her fair extremities interlaced with his darker digits.

"Thanks for letting me work here with you. I'm sorry that I'm not the worker I could be."

"I already told you, it's cool. 'Sides, I knew you were a slacker when I hired you." She smiled at him, stealthily escorting her fingers away from his encroaching hand.

Being said slacker, Kai didn't have a watch. As he liked to quote Jack Johnson, he's say, "'cause I got no time to get where I don't need to be." But when Claire scratched DeGraw's perked ear, he caught sight of hers. "Aw, man, it's already ten? We oughta get some sleep."

"True story." Claire gestured to DeGraw, muttering "down" softly. The little dog immediately hopped down. "Can you get into the inn at this hour?"

"Eh… Doug won't be happy, but he'll let me in if I knock loudly enough." He chuckled mischievously with a backward wave.

Claire waited until she could no longer see him- which was less than 100 yards in this darkness- before she whispered to DeGraw. "Harris may say this is a safe town, but I don't like the feeling I have right now. Follow Kai to the Inn, make sure he gets there safely. Do that for me, and you've got yourself a juicy grilled fish, 'kay?"

DeGraw wriggled his entire body with excitement. He barked in a goodbye salute before chasing after his "second master", as he'd come to think of Kai.

Within the next week, Claire dropped by the inn to lend Ann a hand. Though she had repaid the debt long ago, she continued to help Ann for the sake of her company. "It's really too bad," the normally cheery redhead sighed, "He's the perfect tenant."

Claire chuckled beside her, taking down the drapes to iron them as Ann washed the windows. "And what exactly are the qualities of the perfect tenant?"

"Oh, you know… punctual, clean, quiet, _handsome_."

"Of course!" She mused in agreement. "But if he's running out of money, don't you think it's very decent of him to leave as opposed to waiting for your dad to evict him?"

"I don't know. At least then he'd be here a little longer." She spritzed the window, doing her best to get the dirt out of the corners

"Maybe he could work as Carter's apprentice?"

"Carter isn't paid a salary as it is. He can barely survive let alone take on Cliff."

Claire narrowly missed burning the drapes while she stopped to think. "Maybe he could work as a cook under your dad?"

"I tried that already. Dad killed my hopes quicker than Tiger can blink his eye."

"On what grounds?"

"One, he doesn't want any young man permanently living in same building as me while I'm unmarried."

Claire remarked snidely, "Good thing you guys don't live in an apartment complex."

"And two, he claims that all our recipes have been passed down from generation to generation, and that nobody but family can ever know them."

Claire set the iron erect to cool. "But you were gonna show me how to make that wicked cherry cheesecake!"

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him." She smiled into the window, her reflection somewhat duller in the gleaming glass.

Claire strained her brain. While she mounted the newly-ironed drapes, she said slowly, "You know, if all else fails, I can always use more help on the farm."

"Oh, no!"

"What? Why?"

Ann clucked her tongue. "I already heard how you helped out Kai and Popuri! Your farm is doing well, Claire, but you can't afford to pay another hired hand."

"Well-" Claire cut herself off, watching as Ann waited curiously for the end of the sentence. She had just remembered the importance of keeping appearances. "I guess you're right. I was trying to think of a way to cut costs…"

"You're such a sweetie, Claire. Let me sneak you a cut of that cheesecake you love so much and I'll jot down the recipe."

Later that day, Claire stood still before the door of the library. Mary's thick manuscript was heavy in her numbing left hand, a thinner, paper-clipped stack of her own corrections and thoughts in the other. She had dreaded this for quite a while now; how would she ever tell Mary? The librarian was a very sensitive girl. She had to approach this delicately.

A fine dust of water settled down around her, and Claire was forced to enter prematurely for fear of ruining both documents. "Mary? Are you in?"

"Help!" A tiny voice cried out. Claire looked all around, but she couldn't see anyone.

"Are you on the second floor?" No answer. The farmer stood on Mary's desk to rap her knuckles hard on the ceiling. A weak thumping responded. "Yikes!"

Claire chucked both documents onto Mary's desk before rushing up the stairs, skipping uneven numbers. She stumbled at the top landing in her haste. Around the bend, she could see that a mountain of books had fallen out of the two farthest shelves. She dug in right away and with both hands, tossing covers left and right. Finally, a delicate white hand was unearthed. Claire clasped the hand and pulled out the raven-haired moon girl.

"Phew! Thank you so much!" She fiddled with her glasses briefly before bowing deeply. Her silky black hair stuck up in occasional bookalanche-induced cowlicks.

"It's no problem at all! I'm just glad you followed my advice and had those shelves anchored!"

"Thank the Goddess I did, too. I would have been crushed."

Claire chuckled, patting down the stray strands. "It's a wonder you weren't as it is. Want help replacing these?"

Mary blushed faintly, clasping her hands to one side. "Thank you so much! I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Oh, you'd call Gray." When Mary's blush deepened, she could only chuckle. She didn't press any further; Mary was a delicate soul, and to tease her was a delicate business. But she was a wonderfully sweet girl, and the last thing Claire wanted was to hurt her feelings.

Restocking the books in proper order took a solid hour. Though Claire was nervous about leaving Kai alone on the ranch too long for fear he might slack on his chores, she kept her true feelings hidden beneath a calm visage. She and Mary worked in contented silence until the task was done. Then Mary ushered her toward the stairs, prodding quietly for Claire's opinion on her manuscript.

"Oh, Mary, I just finished it the other night. I'm so sorry it took me so long."

"I completely understand." She took a seat behind her desk. "I don't go out often, and I never had many friends before. But since Ann and I realized that we had a mutual friend- being you, of course- we reached out to one another. Rather, Ann reached out to me. We've been spending all our mornings together at the spring. She told me about the help you've been."

"It's nothing! You know how Ann loves to make others look good."

Mary's gentle smile was angelical. "'No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted.' I believe that was Aesop, no?"

"Ha! Touché, Mary."

"Please, don't leave me in suspense- what did you think?"

"Of your story?"

"Of course!" Her white hands clutched the desk in anticipation, eyes twinkling.

Claire dug her nails into her palms behind her back. Sugar-coating was not her specialty. "I want you to know that I really studied this thing. I went line for line and wrote suggestions and comments on that separate pile, with the yellow paper clip.

"Your plotline moves at a steady pace, not too fast, not too slow, and your characters are pretty realistic. But the writing is uneven in the piece."

Mary blinked, staying politely quiet. She had honestly not expected Claire to know two bits about writing, let alone bewilder her! But she wanted so earnestly to improve her writing that it didn't matter. She asked, without pain or falsity, "Ah… uneven?"

"Like this," Claire flipped through her comments to find her exact words, then through Mary's story to find the original passage. "'_Covered in black ash and sweat, the young man was a vision of drive. His cold eyes were riveted to his craft. The muscles in his forearms and neck bulged slightly as he hammered the glowing metal, gritting his teeth in absolute focus._' All of this is immediately followed by sections that sound like, '_She was a very pretty girl. She had brown hair and brown eyes, and the whole town loved her._' Do you follow me?"

"Ah, I understand. I should add more description."

"No, more description is not always a good thing. Sometimes writing is like painting; to fill in all the spaces would be amateurish, but to leave space and allow the reader to become an artist is the work of a master."

Mary breathed on her glasses, polishing them with a handkerchief from her pocket. "Then I'm afraid I don't understand. How do I improve them if I shouldn't always add more description?"

"You have to improve the description already present, I'm saying. You could take the second passage, for example, and instead say, '_A brunette with cascading falls of mocha silk, she was the envy of all she met._'"

"Do you write, Claire?" The farmer was afraid to look her friend in the face, for fear she might meet pain or embarrassment. But Mary's eyes, nearly dark as new moon, sparkled with newfound admiration.


	5. Year 1: Ch 5

From the summit of Mother's Hill, Claire could just make out the faint, silver outline of the full moon. The sky was so heavily overcast and the moon's light so muffled that the entire world seemed one great blackness. The dead leaves, releasing their pap-twigs, had a strange effect as snow does on sound. They did not rustle that night. They deadened the rhythm of life, suffocated all sound beneath their expansive, macabre sheet.

It seemed the glowing rim was choking on gray smoke. Claire sat down; it was no less cold and dark than it was on her feet. Her toes and fingers had pins and needles as it was, but with the snappish, chill wind, they went numb in very little time. She attempted to relocate the light.

A few leaves rolled up to her, stiffly curled. She plucked one up by the stem and held it up to her face, even though she could hardly see it. Sight was hardly necessary; this leaf was smooth against her cheek and felt grainy. It was molded by the same frost that killed nearly all of her crops.

Claire had never failed before. She had had a lucky start very early in the spring season, had a strong streak all the way through summer. It was half way through the autumn, and she had no produce to turn in for profit. This harvest was the one she had been banking on for most of her winter food. Earlier on, the realization had set off a frenzy of panic, but now she was too cold to be afraid.

Mining was now inaccessible to her, as she needed to be able to make mass quantities for any given trip. Profit from shipped ores would have kept her winter balance in the black. How was she supposed to upgrade her tools now? She couldn't afford to wait another year. She had to expand.

The grass was iffy, too. Claire's hope banked on that grass. Having been freshly mown just previous to the unexpected frost, it was likely the frozen-solid blades would be brown when they thawed out. But some patches were taller that the rest. Those might survive, and then maybe she would not have to pay out her nose to feed her prized livestock all winter.

With a sigh, she said to herself, "I think I've wallowed in my self-pity long enough." She picked herself up off the ground, wincing at the shooting pains streaking from her toes to her hips. Her numb hands felt puffy beneath her mittens. "Y'know, I'm kind of lucky," she said, if only to keep her lips warmer. "If it hadn't rained the day before, I would've lost some animals, too."

Claire picked her way down the mountain as best she could without sensation in her feet. Stumbling here and there, avoiding gravelly sections and patches prone to black ice, it was some time before she reached the base. The upstream portion of the river swirled in black jetties underneath her feet. Occasionally, as she crossed the rickety little suspension bridge, the moon would flash white against the river currents, creating eerie faces in the water.

It was a relief to reach solid ground. Claire scurried past the grounds of the kappa's lake and into the forest. But the trees that formed a sanctuary in earlier seasons seemed to have experienced a change of heart. The ashen branches, bare but for bark, flailed at the small human form like women-mourners tearing out their hair.

As she passed the trail to the hot springs, Claire caught a hint of movement in her peripheral vision. Whatever was on her side was too dark to see. A couple lighter figures darted out from her farm, fangs bared, snouts sniffing and throats declaring. Claire swallowed loudly. She started sweating under her wool outer clothing as she recognized them as wild dogs.

Keeping her eyes glued towards the prowling figures, she slid her pack off her shoulders and dug for the first tool she could find. She was satisfied when she saw a wooden handle. Claire anticipated the dogs' lunge to her right. They realized that she was their enemy when she stood in their way. Crossing the long handle over her chest, she waited through the hour-long nanoseconds for their first move.

Perhaps it was her half-frozen mind, but the dogs seemed to be moving in slow motion. She distinctly saw the one to the right pop off its front legs first and smashed the wood down on its head. The second she fended off with the handle as one would a bow, doing all she could to keep the fangs out of her skin. But the first had recovered enough to latch onto her arm. The fangs dug into her sleeve and refused to let go, staining her light woolen jacket black. She ripped the handle from between the second dog's jaws, splintering his gums before bashing at the canine leech on her arm.

Lifting it high to swipe, the sickle blade flickered in an ephemeral glow of moonlight.

Her hands shook violently as repulsion coursed through her; she had never intended to kill them. A weak cry drew her attention away from the inky bodies. She dropped the bloodied sickle to the ground, crouching towards a rotted old stump. A hole had been dug out beneath for a den. Within lay a badly wounded black cat, hissing with all the strength she had left.

"You look even worse than I do," Claire whispered hoarsely to the thin cat. "Let me help you. Maybe the Doctor will take a look at you. He's no vet, but he's got heart." She expected to be scratched when she picked up the bleeding little feline. It hissed and swiped weakly, but it never drew blood. It choked, each clawed swing a little more like a pat, a gentle stroke, the faintest touch. It gasped and died in her hands.

It was strange how her vision could swim even though she couldn't really see. She lowered the cat and gagged. "I'm sorry," she croaked, patting the still figure. "I'll dig you a grave come morning."

Before she stood to head home, she heard mewling from the stump's rotted opening. Four tiny kittens, eyes sealed, mewling and squirming, huddled at the back of the nest. She really couldn't afford the time or money to care for more pets…

Oh, boo hoo! She scooped up the kittens and jogged carefully towards the house, leaving her pack, bloody sickle, and the dog carcasses behind. They could wait.

The next morning, her tune would be drastically different. "Okay, I am never pulling one of these stupid good-Samaritan acts ever again!" Claire shouted at her mirror, pulling at her tangled hair with a comb. She plucked the thermometer from out of the swaddled blanket-nest the kittens lay in. "Ah! Way too low!" She ran to the sink, pulled out two hot water bottles, and nestled them under either side of the nest.

"Claire, are you coming or what? I need your help shearing Ana and Beth!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" She slammed the door behind her, slinging the pack over her shoulder. Worn down by her late night on the mountain, Claire had almost forgotten to retrieve it. Something had luckily woken her up very early that morning; if she hadn't retrieved it before Kai came, she would have had to wait until after he left. When she entered the barn, Kai was attempting to hold both of her oldest sheep.

"What took you so long?"

"Nothing."

"You haven't gone frilly on me, have you?" He gave up on the ewes and stuck his eyes in her face. "No trace of make-up. And you don't have a bathroom in your house! What the hell could take so long?"

Claire thought fast. Throwing down her pack, she retrieved her shears without looking. Her knuckles brushed against a wooden handle. "I had to clean off my tools."

"For what? I've only seen you clean anything before upgrading it, and only then because Saibara gets all on your case."

"Not true! I clean and polish the handles."

"Yeah, because you're stuck with those for good."

Claire laughed. She threw her hair up in a quick ponytail before squatting on her heels beside one of the ewes. "No, because Gotz would never let me forget it if he had to make another! Will you hold Beth? She's more likely to spook when she hears the shears. We're better off getting her out of the way."

"Speakin' of Gotz- I was by his place real early this mornin', 'cause I couldn't sleep. He was trying to wash away these big splotches of blood from the grass outside his place. Told me that he thought he saw you out there last night, but when he looked again, you were gone. He's worried about you, kicking himself."

"Gotz is like my dad, you know how he gets." Claire clipped an even line all around the ewe's neck, pausing at the throat when the animal was jittery.

"But you were out there?"

"Of course I was out there. I needed time alone."

"Still dealing with that intense early frost?"

Claire sighed. She worked very carefully without speaking for a short time, then pulled off all of the fleece in one piece. "I had to cut my losses, but I started feeling sorry for myself and stayed out too late. Wild dogs must've been sniffing around on the farm, because they came off my place, attacking some stray cat."

Holding Ana, Kai felt a thin layer of guilt coat his throat. He left early last night. "Man, they could've killed you!"

"They couldn't kill me. But they did kill the cat."

"How did you manage to get back?"

"Sickle." Her face was pale as she worked on Ana's coat. He helped her pull away the second clot of fleece. Her sleeve slid back, revealing the edge of a hastily-bandaged forearm. "It doesn't hurt."

"See the doctor anyway, okay? You can real sick from animal bites."

"Look, I know how to care for myself. You know how red grass and poisonous mushrooms are harmful if ingested? Ground the grass to powder and boil it, grate off the mushroom's cap and toss it in the mix. The paste makes the best antibiotic ever, and the runoff is best for sterilizing bandages."

The two crossed the horseshoes of brown crops and splotchy grass towards the little bridge. Kai skirted off the tag ends of the fleece and handed them over to Claire to wash. "I wish you would see the doctor anyway."

"I won't trouble the doctor. I hear Lillia had a relapse. It's so bad that Jeff has stopped going about his stomach aches to free up their time."

"Do you have any acid to scour this stuff with?"

"I'm afraid I don't have the luxury. Reach into my pack and pick out the hand cards."

"The little brush-like things?"

"Yeah, exactly."

Kai took up one of the washed clots of fleece, carefully running the card through the fibrous mess and picking out occasional miscellaneous bits of gunk. "You're so afraid of bothering people. Aren't you the one that lectured the Doctor about how we all help each other?"

"He's busy helping somebody, Kai. He's trying to do his job."

"But you're part of his job! He still sends Elli to give Jeff his medication. And you've still been giving him milk even though you can't afford it."

Claire glared at him. "Don't drop hints at me. What are you trying to say?"

"How the hell can you like someone so much if they scare you?"

"The doctor doesn't scare me, and I don't like him any more than anyone else."

"That is such bullshit and you know it."

"Prove it."

Kai flicked a wad of dried manure off his fingernail, grimacing with disgust. "Last time I went with you to pick up flour for the sprites, he was at the supermarket 'cause it was Wednesday. He smiled at you and you almos' killed yourself tryin' to leave."

"I tripped!"

"Well, he looked pretty upset. He seems to have some funny thoughts on you."

Claire put her carded fleece aside and took his gently. "You're doing it wrong. Card in the same direction to avoid tanglin' it all up. What does he think, anyway?"

"From what I've heard, he seems to think you're terrified of him or hate him, but give him milk so that he won't hold it against you."

"How can anyone who got through med school be that stupid?"

"It's not stupid, Claire. Think 'bout it. All the people in town depend on the doctor for their medical needs. Basil, for example, hates the doctor. So he ships his herbs rather than hands them to his neighbor to avoid insulting him."

"Such a waste of Zack's time!"

"Ah, he gets paid for it, he don't care." Kai waved her statement off. "See, if Basil were to really piss off the doc, not that he would, the doc could poison Anna or Mary, or refuse to treat them at all."

"The doctor would never do that!"

"You get awful mad for someone you like just as much as ever'one else."

"I give up! I'm gonna pin the fleece up on the clothesline to dry before shippin' in. Mind throwing away the tags?"

"I always get the dirty work," Kai grumbled, trailing along behind her. "All this because I try to talk some sense."

"Everybody has to put in their fair share, Kai. I'll take the tags next time."

"Pfft."

A few days ago, she and Kai had removed the barrel in the corner of the chicken coop. They set it up behind the coop, where Kai hopped up on it and stapled the line in, bracing it against the base of the iron rooster weathervane. They used the barrel for a boost again to secure the other end around an apple tree branch.

Kai chucked the tags into the open barrel while Claire used clothespins to fasten the fleece to the line. He watched her face, seeing various emotions roll over her. He saw the denial, the anger at his being right, the embarrassment, the fear of possible leverage, the acknowledgement. She hopped down, shoddy ponytail bobbing up. "I'm gonna make some hot chocolate before we start sicklin' down the dead stuff. Want some?"

"Mind if I come in for a bit? It's nippy out."

"Yeah, no problem." Claire wished he would offer to start the work instead, but who was she kidding? Besides, there was a chance of flurries the next day. She wondered if even planting one-timer crops was worth the effort. It was hard ground to sow when they knew they might reap nothing.

Kai knew how Claire kept her house. He shed his boots, jacket, gloves, and hat right at the door. His gold-toed white socks all but squeaked against the hard-scrubbed, polished wood floor. He threw himself down on the carpet and sighed in contentment. "Call me crazy, but I've never felt so much at home."

Still thinking, Claire hardly heard what he'd said and missed the impact. She measured two cups milk and poured it into the heating saucepan. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. I'm just so useta this house. I moved around so much as a kid, I never really connected with anyplace."

"Hey, y'know what I just thought of?"

"What?"

"I wonder how the frost affected Duke's vines. Think the grapes handled it okay?"

"Duke's an old hand at this stuff. He even got those special covers for emergency cold days."

"Damn." She chopped violently at the chocolate bars.

Chuckling, Kai asked, "Wish he was in the same boat?"

"Naw- well, yeah, but I sincerely doubt I could afford to buy covers like that for my crops."

"'Course not! You've got thirty 'shoes a season, now. Each of those covers is s'posed to be five grand."

Pale, calloused fingers wrapped around the silvery handle, Claire whisked in the chocolate bits with the skill and ease borne of simple, home cooking. She whisked until the creamy milk steamed and frothed, then poured it into two mugs. "Hey, sit up! Y'know I only serve this mad hot."

He took the mug gladly, warming both hands around the edges. "Ah! This is my favorite hot drink. You should try inventing a hot pineapple latte. I would buy that!"

"Ha! I wouldn't make you pay. But, uh, I do have chairs, by the way. And a table."

"Would you look at that!" Kai deadpanned, making her laugh as he stood. He breathed in the chocolatey steam and sighed deep satisfaction. "Any chance you'll show the doctor a bit of your sunnier side?"

"Had to bring that up again, didn't you?"

"Hell, you know I love to rib you."

"I didn't realize the doctor thought I hated him. Hate to say it, but I don't know how I could ever explain it to him."

"Explain what?" There came a knock at the door. Kai stared flatly at the door; interrupting their chill session, what nerve! "I got it."

He was set to sock whoever it was when he saw Duke. "I'm here to ask Claire a favor. You wouldn't have a moment?"

"Oh, of course! C'mon in, Duke. Hot chocolate?"

When he saw the mugs, he got excited. But then he realized that the drinks were nonalcoholic. "No, no, thank you!"

"We were just talking about you. Did the grapes survive the frost ok?"

"We suffered some damage, but we'll make it alright. Actually, even with the frost, we'll need some help harvesting. Think you could spare some time tomorrow?"

Claire and Kai looked across at each other. When they had reached an unspoken consensus, Claire said, "Sure, no problem."

"Would Kai here be able to help, too?"

"I'm sorry, Duke, but this here farm suffered a lot more casualties. I'm sure pickin' grapes'd be easier than whatever she'll have me doing, but…"

"Then Claire, bring someone with you to help. We'll need two sets of helping hands. You will be paid for your time, of course."

When Duke left, Kai snorted after him. "If he had Manna help instead of gab, they'd be able to pick all the grapes themselves."

"True, neh? He's showing off. He started out all humble-"

"Yeah, yeah! With that whole 'we suffered some damage' bit-"

"-but then he came here to show that they _still _have enough surplus to require two hired hands." The two fumed briefly, but hot chocolate refuses to let ill will hover long.

Claire sent Kai out a little earlier under the pretense that she was washing the dishes. She took out the kittens, stimulated bowel movements, and washed and dried them. She nursed each and replaced their hot water bottles after setting them back in their nest.

She looked back on them before heading outside. As if she didn't have enough problems as it was.

In times of hardship, Claire thought she would have spent more time at the church. It was a sensible idea in theory; a person troubled would be most likely to seek the council of a cleric or higher body. But what with the frost- and a new fever that seemed to have cropped up amongst her chickens- Claire really didn't have the time to visit Carter.

She made sure she bathed and perfumed her skin with sweet-smelling purple grass before trekking towards the church. The wind nipped at her bare hands and face, chilling her wet scalp to the skull. She rubbed her hands together before seizing the doorknob.

"Cliff!" She called into the near-empty church. "Long time no see!"

The ragged young man stood and smiled when he heard her. "Come kneel by me."

"I'd love to, Cliff, but I don't even have time to pray lately."

"Don't tell me- the frost?"

She sat beside him on the pew, letting her folded hands drop between her knees. "Y'know how you told me an' Ann a while back that your funds were runnin' low?"

"Y-yeah…"

"Duke needs two sets' helping hands tomorrow. Y'wanna help me out?"

Beneath his brindled, wiry bangs, his face lit up. He seemed to breathe the color in his cheeks from the chill air. "Really?"

"Wouldn't kid you, here."

"Really? Oh!" He bowed deeply. "Thank you!"

It would be rude not to bow back, even though Claire felt they knew each other well enough to skirt such etiquette. She bent slightly at the hips with a nod. "No problem! Let's get there at eight, really impress Duke."

"Absolutely!"

"Wan' me to pack you lunch?" Claire knew that the vagabond had been eating very little since his funds ran low. She reprimanded herself inwardly upon hearing him take in a sharp breath; she never meant to embarrass him.

"No, I'm fine."

"Whatever! If I _happen_ to pack a second sandwich, you're perfectly welcome to it!"

He chuckled as she walked past him. The door to the confessional opened, and Carter smiled sleepily at her. "It's been some time, hasn't it, Claire?"

"Carter! I'm sorry I haven't been around much…"

He held up a hand. "Nonsense, this frost has called everyone trouble. I lost some of my best produce in the little garden I keep behind the church. I can only imagine how your farm has suffered."

"Oh, it isn't so bad- I've got Kai to help me through." She saw Cliff wince out of the corner of her eye. "I hoped you would help me with a minor issue."

"Oh?"

"See, I rescued four kittens whose mother had been killed by wild dogs. I'm so busy, and the frost has caused so much damage, that I can't really afford to keep them in terms of time or money. Do you know anyone that could use a pet?"

"Cats require little. Ellen is very lonely, for starters. Mary spends much of her time alone in the library."

Claire rubbed her head. "I would give one to Ann, but they already have Tiger."

"Try Ann anyway, they've plenty of room."

"I would take one, Claire," Cliff interjected, "if only I could afford one. Would you hold on to one for me, should I find permanent work?"

The cogs in Claire's brain fit well together. She grinned at the space between Carter and Cliff, weirding them out slightly. "Of course."


	6. Year 1: Ch 6

That night, Claire banged on the door of the winery, out of breath. Duke answered with a wine bottle in one hand and a lantern in the other. "Who's there?"

"It's Claire, Duke! Tell me you're sober!"

She heard him chuckle as he leaned against the door. "Alrighty then. I swear to drunk I'm not God."

"Good 'nough. I want to make a deal with you."

"Which would be…?"

"You know Cliff?"

"He's a nice boy," he slurred to himself. He went to stroke his chin but missed and wound up slapping himself with the empty bottle.

"Oh, he's very nice, I agree. And he's running out of money."

"He is? That's terrible."

"He might leave town if he doesn't get a job."

"He needs a job?"

Claire sighed, unsure of how much more heavily she could lay on the hints. "Cliff really, really needs a job. And you need help at the Winery."

"I do! I should hire Cliff."

"Absolutely! He'll be very happy. Sign this little paper for me, okay?"

"Sure thing." Duke marked a sloppy X onto the signature line at the bottom of Cliff's employment 'contract'.

"C'mon, Duke, the real deal!" He snatched up the paper, scrawled '_DUKE_, _AJA WINERY_' and thrust it back proudly. "There we go! Thanks a million, Duke. Get back to bed."

"G'nigh'."

"Goodnight." Claire chuckled as she walked down the dark street, feeling sneaky.

At the end of their temporary employment, Claire all but dragged Duke into the wine cellar. She thrust the signed (though questioningly legal) document into his hands.

"What is this? I never agreed to a permanent employment!"

"Oh, you did. See the reddish smudge next to the big X?"

"I do…" His eyes widened in recognition. If his face could make any sound, it would be 'oops'.

"Looked like a nice bottle of Pinot Noir, too. You had the whole thing drained by the time I got here."

"You tricked me!"

"I didn't trick you. I lead you up to a conclusion. Socratic method!"

A purple vein in Duke's neck throbbed. Weren't those supposed to be blue? Claire mused silently- he was so pickled that the wine dyed him reddish all around. He spat, "Don't get so technical! You took advantage of me while I was intoxicated."

"You make it sound like I raped you! Way I see it, you offer yourself up to be taken advantage of every time you get drunk. I'm surprised nobody ever thought o' doin' it before."

"That's because you're not from around here," he growled. "No _decent _folk takes advantage of their neighbors. You're not one of us."

"Blah blah blah. Don't be such a sore sport! Tell Cliff the good news, and be enthusiastic about it."

"And why should I-" Duke regretted fighting with her when he saw the gleaming point of a sickle poking out the side of her pack. A smile burst onto his face. Borne out of fear, it was one of the most terrifying smiles Claire had ever laid eyes on.

Sweating slightly, Duke emerged from the wine cellar grinning. "Cliff, congratulations! I've decided to take you on full-time!"

"Really, sir?"

He glanced at Claire only briefly through his peripheral vision. "Absolutely!"

Claire leaned back against the cellar door, smiling gently at Cliff. She waved in congratulations, slipping away from the excitement without a sound.

…or so she thought. Cliff came running after her, squeezing her in a hug from behind. "Thank you!"

"Huh?"

"Thank you for inviting me. I never would have had this job, the opportunity to stay in town, had it not been for you." He bowed deeply again, making her anxious.

Claire felt prickles rise on her upper arms. It was like Ann could see them from the left bedroom window. "Really, that's not necessary…"

"Let me thank you! I want to repay my debt."

"Yikes, when you put it that way… I mean, I know the feeling. I could hardly turn you down. What do you have in mind?"

"You mentioned some kittens that you couldn't afford to take care of. Let me lighten your load- I'll take one off your hands."

"Er, shouldn't you make sure you can keep pets at the inn?"

Cliff's eyes bugged comically in realization. "Ooh, you gotta point there. I'm gonna go check that out, but save one for me!"

She laughed. "I will, don't worry. I have to wait until they're all weaned before I can separate them, anyway. I'll make sure I hold onto the raggediest special for you."

"Perfect!" He chuckled, tossing his head back a little. "Two-of-a-kind tramps!"

Claire walked home laughing, shaking her head. So much for the end of her good deeds.

Kittens in her lap, Claire recounted the money from under the floorboards. She had gone through nice chunks of it in nearly two seasons; about fifteen grand was left of the original sixty-five. Her hand stroked the tiny back of a mewling kitten's head absently. That wasn't a hell of a lot of money, considering she still had to make it through the whole winter. She had plenty of chicken feed because the corn had done well that summer, but her grass supply was lacking. To buy fodder for an entire season would be roughly five grand, she figured.

"Aw, dammit!" She would have sprung up when one of the kittens wet her leg, but she couldn't hurt them by sending them hurtling down. One by one, she replaced them in their nest. She hoisted a leg up onto the counter by the sink and scrubbed the stain with a warm dishcloth. "So that leaves ten grand. If I spend five grand on the horse races, I could come out with ten fold what I have now. Or I could come out with half. That'd leave me in a pretty perilous position, considering I still have to buy seeds for spring."

The majority of fall was over now, and she hadn't shipped very many crops. It was really her sweet potatoes that saved her rear end; all three shoes survived the frost, and gave off produce every three days. Despite her bad start, she sowed more sweet potatoes where the frosty remains of other plants had been sickled down. "Hey, that's right. I have to buy seeds for this season next year, so I can plant right away."

She stood straight and tossed the cloth back onto the faucet. Leaning on the counter, she put her head in her hands. "What the hell am I going to do? I'll never make it through the entire winter with no money. Guess I should take my chance at the races; if I do bet, I might lose half my money, and if I don't bet, I might lose all my money."

As much as she would have liked to see her friends on her normal errands route, Claire had to grit her teeth and push today. It was Kai's first day off- every other Tuesday- and she was just beginning to realize how spoiled she had become. She loved taking care of her large livestock, and the sprites took care of the sweet potatoes, but she hated those goddamn chickens. Stupid, stupid, fat, flightless, living TV dinners! She hated feeding them, holding them, sweeping up their stupid coop! One of these days, when Rick was out of town, she was going to enjoy some chicken parm.

Which reminded her- she hadn't seen much of Rick lately. Of course, he stared more and more dreamily at her every time she delivered a spa-boiled egg, but she never saw him anywhere else. "Tell you the truth," she muttered to herself as she tromped from the barn to the coop, "he's the one I really feel bad about. I got no intention of marrying Rick. Guess I just did that to piss off Karen."

Ick, stupid chicken feed. She tossed it in bunches into the respective chickens' bins, nearly stepping on the newest chicks, Gina and Harriet. "Maybe I should stop toying with his feelings… then again, I do get a nice discount on animal medicine, thanks to his little crush on me. Aw, but they really need the money, Lillia bein' so sick and all. Messing with him is fun, though- maybe I'll keep messing with him and just pay full price anyway."

Before she knew it, the fall horse races were set to begin. She bet frugally; she knew now from last time that Saibara's arguments were a fat load of crap. She was better off listening to Doug, who really knew his racing. All the horses looked pretty fast, though. She was worried.

Her first bet broke his leg.

Her second bet startled in the starting gate and threw his jockey, who was very nearly trampled.

Her third bet narrowly missed first place because her jockey didn't let her have her head.

The pink betting ticket, utterly crushed, shook violently in her left fist. Sitting high and alone in the bleachers, she brought her knees into her chest and rest her elbows on top. She cried into her forearms for a short time. Before she left, she nailed the last jockey in the head with the crumpled ticket.

Claire did some hard thinking on the walk home. She had a few thousand gold left in her pocket and a long, hard winter in front of her. Well, she figured, there are two choices. Either one, I can go home and mope, or two, I can scheme something up to stay in the black.

She snuck into her own house so as not to wake the kittens. DeGraw slept peacefully, curled up around their basket. Normally she made him sleep in his doghouse to watch over the chickens; in this frosty weather, leaving him outside all night would be inhumane. He picked up his head, tail thumping at the sight of his master. Claire bent down, holding his muzzle in both hands. She looked into those all-too-human eyes and felt his compassion.

The next day, Zack arrived with the last piece of equipment for her kitchen: the all-elusive frying pan. Claire thanked him quietly.

The muscular delivery man picked up on her change of attitude fast. "Hey, don't look so down! Where's your normal gusto?"

Claire studied her face in the frying pan's silvery back. A shiver of excitement made her fingertips tremble- how much food this one tool might lead to! She could see Kai drooling over stir fry as she stood. But for the moment, she could only see the frying pan for the money she'd spent on it. She practiced her smile in its clean surface before reflecting it on Zack. "Hey, you're early! Nobody looks good at five in the mornin'."


	7. Year 1: Ch 7

While Claire was helping Ann waitress one night, Gray stumbled in from the chill muttering bitterly. The first few days of winter had been brutally cold. She seated him at the bar, getting his usual order ready for him. "Ever heard of a coat, Gray?"

"Sh-sh-shut up." His teeth chattered in his pink cheeks. "I don-don't need a st-stupid coat. Or hat. Or scarf."

Claire hmph'd to herself, pushing the warm glass of brandy across the counter. "You're human, buddy. Y'gotta stay warm."

"Yeah, yeah." He took deep gulps of the liquid warmth. "Ah. If gramps weren't such a prick, I wouldn't be so eager to get outta that hell hole."

"I know your grandfather can be hard on you."

"Hard my ass. He's such a prick," he muttered again.

"Have you guys been getting any more business since we last talked?"

"Nah. You were our only customer for most of fall, upgrading your tools and whatnot. But then the frost killed everything, and took our trade with it."

"Whaddaya mean?" Claire leaned on the counter, hair falling over her shoulders.

"Lookit this bar. See how it's nearly empty? Even Duke isn't here! Everybody's stayin' home and cutting costs because the cold makes livin' hard. Nobody's gonna come to the forge to order a necklace or a broach in times like these."

"I see what you mean. I'm sittin' here gabbing, after all. I shouldn't be able to."

"Exactly. So you have me an' gramps bickerin' in cramped conditions all day long, and I come in like this."

"Gotcha."

"Fuck my life."

Claire twirled her hair around a finger, absently noting how long it had gotten. "Well, I hardly have much to do on my place. If I leave Kai to take care of the animals, I'm free. How 'bout you come to my place tomorrow and teach me how to mine?"

"You don't know? It's easy."

"Once you've learned, yeah."

"Few things- what are your hammer and hoe at, now?"

"Silver."

"Not great." Claire frowned at his condescending tone. "And what high-energy recipes do you know that will sustain you?"

"What about jam and fruit lattés?"

He snorted. "Mediocre."

"Are you going to teach me or just sit her and criticize me?"

"I guess I can make do with what you've told me. Be ready at five tomorrow. I'll come to your farmhouse. We're gonna be down there a long time; bring fluids and plenny to eat. Make sure Kai is up, too."

"Why?" Kai was going to hate her for this…

"Somebody should always know when you're going into the mines. If we're not back in five hours, we need somebody to get Gotz or Gramps and then the Doctor." She gave him a confused look. "Either of the first two to help the Doctor reach us in case of fainting, gas, or cave-in."

She gulped. "Do the mines cave in a lot?"

"Not at all- or at least, they haven't in my stay here. But you should always be careful," he added hastily.

Kai had _not_ been a happy slacker. Winter was not his season to begin with; he could hibernate until two or three in the afternoon every day if you let him. Waking him up long before first light left him irritable and rather un-chill.

He was snappish the whole time she was getting ready. "I can't believe you're doing this. What's wrong with just takin' care of the animals and shippin' white grass and honey?"

"It's extra revenue, that's why! Think of it this way, man: either I go mining, or you don't get paid this week." Claire flung her bag down on the table and double-checked her supplies. Lattés, check. Snacks, check. Hoe and hammer, check…

"Like I care about that. If I stuck with you last season, through good times and bad, what makes you think I would hightail after one late paycheck?"

"I wouldn't be able to handle it as your employer. It's my job to pay you, period."

Kai groaned and covered his eyes with one hand. "You're totally missing the point!"

Claire ground her knuckles into each hip, countering his body language. "Oh yeah? Enlighten me, then!"

"You want it plain and simple?" His voice rose, flipping his fingers up off his eyes. "You could die in that giant stone coffin!"

Claire stood frozen, mouth hanging a little open. The kittens started to cry from where she had hidden their basket. Kai bit his lip, his arm falling to his side. She brushed past him and reached under the bed.

He said softly, untying and retying his bandana, "I'm sorry, I didn't know…"

"I never told you, how could you?" She answered mildly, rocking the basket until the frightening mewls were contented sighs. DeGraw peeked into the basket, his paws on the rim. He slobbered on his favorite kitten, a little gray female.

"How…" Kai started awkwardly. "How have you been taking care of them with everything that's happened?"

"Oh, lots o' work and a little luck."

He smiled, kneeling down slowly. "Could I- could I hold one?"

"Sure, just don't take the gray. That may be the one time DeGraw here bites you."

"He's taken to mothering, I see."

She chuckled, scratching DeGraw's ear. "Yeah, he's a good boy. Now, hold his head- cradle him like a baby. There you go," she whispered. The little white male snuggled happily against Kai's chest. Kai held him tenderly, cautiously, and smiled.

Just then a knock came at the door. Gray's gruff voice ground its way through the door. "Yo, I'm freezing out here. Either open up or get out!"

Kai rolled his eyes, making the farmer laughed. She reached two fingers into her back pocket, revealing a little slip of chores and errands. "Don't give me that face! I should be back well before noon. Don't spend all morning with the kittens!"

"Yeah, yeah," he tried to grumble, finding he couldn't while the now month-old kittens wobbled and tumbled together.

Mining with Gray had been quite the exhausting endeavor. They made it only to about the twelfth floor or so, and then Claire had to lean heavily on the young blacksmith to return to the surface. Still, her basket was full, and her mind was content.

Gray was baffled that she had managed to upgrade tools without ore. "How did you manage?" He'd asked. His grandfather was glad to sell her the ore, but of course the price was more than a little inflated. She supposed he was trying to lessen the damage that cold weather routinely inflicted on his business.

"Well," she said when they emptied her basket into the shipping bin. "What do I owe you?"

"Nothin'. I didn't teach you anythin' you didn't already know. See you 'round?

Relieved, she laughed out loud. "See you 'round, then!"

The house was empty; Kai must be in the barn, she wagered. Now was as good a time as any to make off with the kittens.

Wrapping them in an extra layer of warmth, Claire headed first to the Inn. Doug was unusually merry as he dried a set of glasses behind the bar. "Business good, Doug?"

"Why, yes it is!" he answered clearly and in good cheer. "I don't know why the winter seems to get everybody down. It only brings me up!"

"Excellent! Congratulations on your success."

He paused, earnestly troubled. "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't talk like that. I know that your stance is very different at the moment…"

"Really, I'm not bothered. Is Cliff here?"

"What day is it, Saturday? He just got back from Church. Said somethin' about cleanin' up before Duke and Manna came in for lunch." He couldn't help smiling at the thought of the money they'd all bring in. Duke was a cash cow, after all.

"Thanks." She scurried up the stairs and knocked on the second door. "Cliff? You in?"

"Who is it?"

"Claire- with the kittens."

The door opened so fast it nearly took her nose off. "I'm sorry- aw, are these the little guys?"

"Hehe. Eager for companionship, I see?"

"I love cats," the untidy wallflower explained, "Ann really likes them, too."

"Good! I came here first, 'cause you were the only one to show interest."

"That's hard to believe," he said, scooping up a sweet calico male. "I've been sitting on my hands waiting for these guys. Whattaya think of 'Gavroche'? I mean, it is a boy, right?"

"That he is. It's unique, for sure!"

"From _Les Mis_," he offered. "Gavroche is a street urchin, just like me!" They laughed together.

Moving quickly through the blinding white and born-embrittling cold, Claire delivered DeGraw's favorite to Ellen, who was pleased to name her "Lisa". But when she knocked on the door to the library, the atmosphere was not quite as hospitable.

Mary's head jerked up from behind the desk when the door opened. "I've got the kittens I told you about," Claire began without certainty. "Do you still want one…?"

"Yes, of course," the librarian answered softly. She picked up the white male with spellbinding green eyes.

When no more words passed between them, Claire attempted to chip away at the silence. "Do you have a name for him yet?"

"Perhaps 'King'." Her voice was clipped.

"Ah, like the horror author?"

"No," she retorted, stopping the conversation dead. Pressing her lips together, making them nearly as white as her complexion, she turned on her heels and set King down gently on her desk. With her back turned, her voice echoed coldly in the empty library. "The 'Queen of the Night' is a lovely, rare white flower. But he's a boy, so he's the 'King of the Night', or just 'King'."

Claire thought about what she would say before reviving the conversation. "Have I upset you, Mary?"

The library turned her head. A cold glint flashed across the lenses of her glasses, but behind them a tear slipped down her pale cheek. "I heard you went mining with Gray today."

"I did," Claire answered softly. "And that was all. I didn't know how."

Mary's resolve crumbled and her lip trembled. "Then… you're not interested in him?"

"No!" Claire exclaimed, quickly explaining herself. "Gray is just a friend of mine, and I don't want anything more from him. Besides, even if I were interested, I wouldn't steal him from you!"

Mary played with the hem of her skirt. She smiled, relief turning her cheeks a delicate rose. "He's hardly mine yet."

"Oh, but he will be!" They giggled together in mutual reassurance. Mary offered some hot tea, but Claire had to get going. The last kitten was getting cold.

"Well?" Asked Kai when she returned late in the afternoon. "Any luck?"

"Just one little fella left."

"Don't tell me- the gray male?"

"You got it." Her arms wobbled as she tried to set the basket down gently. It nearly slipped, but Kai caught it.

"Whoa, careful."

"Sorry, my arms are like jelly."

"That happens when you try something new. Though I'm sure the cold hardly helps." He looked up at her once the basket was stable on the tabletop. "Hey, you look beat. Why don't you sit down? I can handle dinner."

"No way," Claire muttered, sliding into the chair as she spoke. Her forehead and nose were smushed against the table. "You ran the farm all day. Gimme five minutes and I'll get started."

"No can do, man. Take it easy for once in your life; slacker's got it covered."

Thrilled though she was that she was off her feet, Claire wasn't sure it was such a great idea to let Kai cook. Of course his food was excellent, and the thought of someone else cooking for her was appealing. But weren't things getting a little too cozy? Mary was concerned after one mining trip with Gray. Granted, Popuri was dumb as a doorknob, but even idiots get jealous, right?

Kai broke up her train of thought with the sound of oil hissing on her new frying pan. "This thing's a beauty. From the shopping network?"

She grunted in the affirmative.

"Hope you like fried noodles. Anyhow, what're we gonna name the little guy?"

"Name 'im?"  
"Well, if nobody's taking him, he may's well have a name, right?"

"True." Claire propped her chin on one palm, eyes closed. "Well, we've got two performer names for the pets. Gavin _DeGraw_ and Adam _LeVine_- at least, that's what the colt's name will be if Barley lets me keep him."

"Then what about 'Sting'?"

"He's a cat, not a wasp. What about 'Bowie'?"

Kai agitated the oil before adding the boiled noodles, which hissed mightily. He mocked her, "He's a cat, not a clown!"

She laughed. "Or a foofoo dog, for that matter. Could we agree on 'Collins'?"

"For Phil, you mean?"

"Of course."

"I like it." He flipped the noodles with an easy flicked of his wrist, tossing in slices of eggplant, fish, green peppers, and a couple eggs. "Kinda suits him anyhow, gray an' plain as he is."

"True story." She smiled, watching him bat his tiny paws at imaginary blanket monsters. "Think he'll make a good mousing cat?"

"Maybe. Might take him a little while to get good at though, so don't get discouraged."

"You done? I can get drinks."

"No! Sit down, stay awhile," he purred like a ladies' man.

"Don't spoil me, or you'll regret it!"

"Yeah, yeah. No cats on the table, boss-lady."

Gotz's door was made of oak, thick, sturdy, and unstained. A little rough, it left splinters in Claire's hands. She tried to pick them out discreetly while she talked with the gruff woodcutter. "Hey there!" she started brightly. "Haven't seen you at the supermarket for a little while. You okay out here by yourself?"

"I'm fine," he grunted, waving a hand. "I can manage."

"I know, but that doesn't mean you enjoy it. Were you alright in the storm yesterday? I hope you covered your woodpile the day before."

He nodded, smiling behind his bushy brown beard at her concern. "Always do." He then admitted, "But a coupl'a eggs an' some milk might'a done me a favor."

"They may be a little late in coming, but I have some presents for you that match that description pretty well!" Claire unveiled her gifts, packed carefully into a wooden crate. A dozen eggs, a good-sized bottle of milk, some vegetables, and a steaming pot of mountain stew- the last being the mountaineer's very favorite.

"Looks good!" Came his simple praise. "Was kind of you to bring me goodies."

"Wasn't nothin'! Come up to the farmhouse once in a blue moon, at least! I'm happy to share with you."

His big hand waved goodbye slowly, glad to see her come, sad to see her go. Claire knew how much her company meant to the lonely woodcutter. Harris had once told her that she looked like Gotz's daughter; apparently his daughter and wife had died up on the mountain.

Unlike the man who built it, the big oak door was cruel and unforgiving. It left her with more splinters on the way out- having no doorknob- and slammed loudly behind her in the slicing winter wind. Not that it mattered; no one but Gotz, Claire, and occasionally, Harris ever walked through the forest.

Apparently that winter morning was an exception. Sitting on the stumps not very far away, Karen and Rick were reminiscing. It was funny to Claire to see them together, the village "beauty" (though Claire didn't feel the title was deserved) and one of the most unfortunate-looking young bachelors anyone had ever met. Karen's artificial, superficial beauty was ugly in the farmer's eyes, but her catty antics and stuck-uppish attitude were repulsive. Rick was no prize, but he was earnest and kind, warm and protective of his family. Karen took advantage of his lack of spine time and again, dragging his ego through the mud.

Staying in the cover of Gotz's cabin, Claire eavesdropped without shame. She heard Rick say, "We used to play here all the time, remember?"

Karen laughed. "How could I forget? Tag, kick the can, hide and seek… everything!"

"But we wrestled, too! You know, I never could beat you…"

Karen flipped her long mocha tresses over her shoulder, shoulder up and defensive, lower lip pouting. "What? I don't remember that. Why would I wrestle?"

"Because we wrestled together! Man, I remember how I used to cry when you threw me to the ground."

"I told you I don't remember, so just drop it, alright?" Her voice raised sharply. She turned on her heels and left, using the path cutting through Claire's farm- or as Kai had christened it, "Paraíso Farm"- rather than the path that wound between Rick's place and Barley's.

"What? Wait? I don't get it!" Rick got up to follow her, but he tripped on a long branch and ate dirt. When he got up his nose was bleeding. "Damn…"

Claire took her cue. She fished for a hankie in her deep (empty) pockets on the way over to him. "Hey, you might want this."

"How much did you see?" He asked, dreading her answer.

"Enough. Don't be embarrassed, I trip all the time."

"At least I'm not the only one," He mumbled through the white hankie. "But I was talking about my conversation with Karen."

"Karen was here? I didn't see her; I must've been in Gotz's still," she would have said. But Rick was too simple- he would see through her lie in a heartbeat. He was downtrodden as it is. Lying would only hurt him. "I heard all about the games you used to play together," she owned up.

"Oh, so you heard everything…" he plopped his rear end down on a stump. Unfortunately, it was the rotten one she'd found the kittens in a season earlier. He fell right through to the ground in one harsh motion. He swore in frustration.

Claire offered a hand, guiding him to a sturdier stump. "We've all had those days." She took a stump for her own rump.

"But my whole life is 'one of those days' lately! Every time Karen and I try to do something together, we wind up fighting! Every time I go to the forge to fill Saibara in on our tools, Gray makes fun of me! Every time I go to the beach, I see that good-for-nothing slacker making eyes at my sister!" In the last phrase his voice got especially irate. Claire's stomach dropped, hoping he wouldn't point out exactly how Kai came to stay for the winter.

"So you're in a rut. It happens. Try not to let it get you down, though. Once you start feeling sorry for yourself, you've already lost, y'know?"

Rick nodded.

"The next time you see Karen, ask if you can have a little time to yourself. Even people who care a lot about each other fight when they spend too much time together. And don't let Gray bother you- lemme tell you, his grandfather makes him pay for every comment he makes. Remember that when he runs his mouth. And when it comes to Kai…" She nodded to herself, raising an eyebrow in cruel thought, "I'll take care of him."

Rick chuckled. "Would you do that for me?"

"Of course! Promise."

"It means a lot to me- what you've said. Maybe I can turn things around after all."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah." He grinned. "I'm gonna go talk to Karen right now. Uh… I take it you don't want the hankie back?"

She scooted away from the bloodied hankie. "Er… No thanks."

* * *

_Long time no see, neh? It's been a long time since my last update. If you've been following "Poker Face" for some time now, please review the older chapters, as you'll notice snippets of many of them have changed! I like to call it "revamping". Is it for the better? Is it for the worse? I guess you'll just have to let me know._

_In reference to Cliff's kitten: Gavroche [gahv-rohsh] is the name of a street rat, son of the scheming M. Thénardier, in Victor Hugo's _Les Misérables.

_In reference to DeGraw: Those of you following "Poker Face" might have noticed that Claire's dog's name has been changed from "Charlie" to "DeGraw". If you see any references to "Charlie" or "Chuck", please let me know exactly where so that I might change them._

_Thank you!_


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